The Short Immortal Life of Bianca di Angelo
by Kittycat32
Summary: Dive into the life of Bianca di Angelo as she finds out what her life really is. This is the story through Bianca's eyes, her feelings, her thoughts, the reasons behind her heroic actions. After all, a daughter of the Big Three and a hunter deserves a say
1. My Principal Tries To Kill Me

**FANFICTION IS BACK! OH, YES! I HAVE BEEN WAITING WEEKS FOR THIS MOMENT!**

**Omg Fanfictioners! First chapter! Don't you love it when you get in that writing mood? I've been writing non-stop all day :D**

**Also, I have taken up ****Mina's Adventures With The Olympians**** again, so you might want to check that out again! **

**Three stories going at once. Do you think I can handle it? No probably, not, but I can certainly try! Wish me luck!**

**My Principal Tries To Kill Me**

_Hey, Bianca here, writing from Elysium. I've realized that you can do anything you want when you're dead, and Lady Artemis sent me an iris message saying she wanted me to write down what happened during the short time I realized I was a demigod and a Hunter. Just to keep track of things, you know? Now for an inside look of my interesting life._

When the lawyer came to get Nico and I out of the Lotus Casino, I was expecting something like, "You're parents are waiting to see you," or "Have fun during summer vacation?" But no. Just an emotionless lady saying, "I'm deeply sorry to say to say that your parents are dead."

But that wasn't the worst part. I didn't even remember my mother, or my father, or my life before I came out of the hotel.

"Your parents had a bank account ready in case anything happened to the two of you. You will be going to Westover Hall, in Bar Harbor, Maine. It is your parents' wishes."

No say for us at all. We were just put into bus, drove three days across the country, and dropped off at some military school.

The classes were tough, too. The teachers didn't take "I don't know" for an answer, and we did extreme physical exercises every day. It's not like I had trouble with them, in fact they were pretty easy. But the other kids, they were the ones who had trouble. I would get to the end of the course, look back, and find most of the kids' yards behind me.

But that didn't make me any more likable. They teased me constantly, whether out of jealousy, or pure hate, I didn't know.

I took care of Nico when I could, trying to be the mother that he would never have, but lets face it, I was only twelve years old! How much control did I have over my brother?

Luckily, there wasn't much free time for kids at Westover, and when we did, it was monitored closely by the teachers.

It was almost Christmas break, and we were celebrating by having a Christmas dance, even if I despised dancing, it gave me a good brake to just sit around and think.

"Hey, you guys coming?" asked Grover as he limped down the hall on his crutches. I didn't know what disease or accident happened to him, but I wasn't going to pry, just because he was my only friend.

"Coming, Grover," said Nico beside me, putting his Mythomagic cards in his pocket.

I, personally, thought the game was a waste of time, but I wasn't going to discourage him from having a bit of fun every now and then.

I slipped on my favorite green hat, pulling my jet-black hair over my face and pulled the cap a little lower.

"Ready," I said.

The sound of music drew in giggling groups of girls and boys about to have panic attacks, wondering how they were going to ask that special someone to dance.

I have never had someone take an interest to me, and frankly, I didn't want one.

Grover, Nico, and I stopped by the bleachers, and Nico took his Mythomagic cards out again. "Did you know that Zeus has 3,000 attack power, but can go up to 5,000 when storm weather is activated?"

"Interesting…" I mumbled, but I wasn't paying attention. I was watching Grover talk with three people, a guy with dark hair and green eyes, (it sort of reminded me of Harry Potter, but without the glasses or lightning scar.) a girl with blonde hair and stormy eyes, and finally, a girl with spiky black hair and startling electric blue eyes.

They glanced at us for a few seconds, then turned away. The spiky-haired girl pulled Grover away to dance, and the other two awkwardly talked for a while.

I had never seen them before, and I knew they didn't go to school here, so I was wondering why and how they got here.

Then a voice came from the hall, the forbidding sound of our principal. "Ms. Di Angelo, Mr. Di Angelo, could you step out with me for a few seconds?"

Dr. Thorn walked out of a door to the left of the bleachers. He was a scary person, kind of hunch-backed, and he had an unfriendly aura.

I started to protest, but the guy grabbed me and Nico by our necks, knocking my hat off, and the Mythomagic cards out of Nico's hands.

"Hey!" we protested.

"If you want to live, keep walking," warned Dr. Thorn.

I gulped. Not how I imagined a military dance to go.

He pushed us through the door at the far side of the gym and dragged us down the hall.

"Let. Me. Go!" I punched him in the face.

"Insolent girl!" Dr. Thorn grabbed my hair and yanked my head back. I grunted in pain, but I wasn't going to cry out. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing it really hurt.

He pushed us against the wall of a classroom. "Stay there. Don't move or the other one dies."

That got me scared.

Then the faint glow of something came down the hall, and the tip of a weird colored light… wait, it was a… sword?

The head of the Harry Potter-like guy peeped around the corner, and spotted us.

"It's okay," said the guy. "I'm not going to hurt you."

We stood stock-still. I saw Dr. Thorn beginning to creep up behind him.

"My name's Percy. I'm going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe."

I was pretty sure that if Dr. Thorn got Percy, we'd be the ones getting him somewhere safe. Like the emergency room.

I widened my eyes and clenched my fists, trying to warn him that there was a psychopath vice principal about to attack him.

Percy caught the hint, but it was too late. Dr. Thorn threw something, and it hit Percy in the shoulder, blowing him backwards into the wall.

I winced as he hit the wall. But somehow he stood up and swung his sword.

A cold laughter filled the hall.

"Yes, Perseus Jackson. "I know who you are."

Percy tried to walk toward the voice, but his shirt was caught in the wall by some sort of point object.

Dr. Thorn stepped out of the shadows, his face marred by his amused expression.

"Thank you for coming out of the gym. I hate middle school dances," said Dr. Thorn.

Percy tried to swing his sword again, but missed.

Then the Vice Principal threw something, and it hit the wall _right next to my face._

I yelped, then stared closely at the object. It was a thorn. Well, I guess I knew where he got his name.

"All three of you will come with me. Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw."

Well that was comforting. Looks like I wasn't going to be dancing tonight.

**First chapter done! O_o**

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	2. My World Has Gone to Ashes

**Hey Fanfictioners! Loved how many reviews I got for the first chapter! **

**I think you all deserve a cookie for having to wait so long for this story to come out! They are chocolate chip! Come on, take one, you deserve it! :D **

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**Today was the best day ever (thursday) I got to skip math class, have ice cream (courtesy if the awesomest teacher eva!) watch a movie in social studies, leave early at 2, and FANFICTION WORKED! I've been dancing all day just because it's so awesome! **

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**My World Has Gone To Ashes**

I didn't know what the heck Dr. Thorn was, nor did I particularly want to know, but for a, well, a spike throwing psycho, he moved pretty fast.

Percy Jackson closed his eyes next to me, as if some deep thought.

"What are you doing, Jackson?" demanded Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"

Jeez, this guy was scary. Something behind him whipped back and forth in annoyance. Was that… No, it couldn't be. Could it? Could my vice principal have a freaking tail?

I wasn't what you would call a normal girl. I don't like make-up, I don't think the more skin you show makes you look hotter, or all of that stuff. Not that all girls are like that, but that's beside the point. I didn't fit. For the puzzle of society, there was no correct place to put me.

But a vice principal sporting a tail the size of my whole body? Now _that's_ abnormal.

Percy shuffled forward, opening his eyes a slit. "It's my shoulder. It burns," he whimpered.

For a second, I thought he was serious, until I saw the glint in his eyes. Smart guy.

"Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!" ordered Dr. Thorn.

Didn't this guy ever hear of a thing called mercy? Well, I suppose anyone who throws a poison spike isn't going to show mercy afterwards. Especially a psychopath with a tail.

Dr. Thorn pushed outdoors, and despite the bad situation and cold winter, something light filled me, and the moon seemed extra bright, promising it would be full.

I glanced over at Percy, who looked like he was having some sort of seizure. Then I realized he was trying to concentrate on something, apparently really, really hard.

A cold wind blew through across me, and I shivered. Nico leaned against me, and I put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

Dr. Thorn herded us into the forest, away from the warm, safe military school. The wind shook the trees, and I felt like I had turned into a popsicle.

"There is a clearing ahead. We will summon your ride," stated Dr. Thorn.

"What ride?" I demanded. Were we being kidnapped? "Where are you taking us?"

"Silence, you insufferable girl!" yelled Dr. Thorn. Seriously, hadn't he realized that no one talks like that anymore? I would have been more comfortable with something like, 'Shut up, kid!'. But no, he just had to scare the crap outta me be talking all old-fashioned.

"Don't talk to my sister that way!" retorted Nico. I had to complement him for his braveness, even if it was a stupid thing to do.

Dr. Thorn growled an entirely un-human growl, and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up so much, I thought they must have been having a little party back there or something.

"Halt," ordered Dr. Thorn.

We had reached a clearing, or well, a cliff that dropped into the ocean. I could smell the salty sea air and feel the spray of waves hitting the rock wall.

Dr. Thorn pushed us forward, and Percy stumbled, almost falling off the cliff, but I caught the back of his ripped shirt.

"Thanks," he muttered, not wanting Dr. Thorn to hear.

"What is he?" I whispered. "How do we fight him?"

"I… I'm working on it."

Well, that made me feel a whole lot better.

"I'm scared," mumbled Nico beside me. He was fingering another of his Mythomagic figurines. I wanted to tell him that everything was going to be fine, but I didn't even know how I was going to survive this.

"Stop talking! Face me!" Dr. Thorn growled.

We turned, and saw him staring at us hungrily, then reached into his jacket.

Was he getting a gun? Was he going to shoot us, then toss us in the ocean? My breath caught as his hand slid out of the pocket.

Oh, phew, it was only a phone. He pressed a button and spoke into it. "The package. It is ready to deliver."

Oh, so now we were a "package"?

Percy looked behind us, at the cliff.

"By all means, son of Poseidon, jump! There is the sea. Save yourself," taunted Dr. Thorn.

Did the crazy psycho say son of Poseidon? As in, the mythical Greek god of the sea? Didn't this guy realize that it was the twenty-first century? We haven't believed in Greek gods in like, three thousand years.

"What did he call you?" I murmured to Percy.

"I'll explain later," he replied.

Oh, don't tell me he believed in Greek gods too. One crazy person in my life is plenty.

"You do have a plan, right?" I checked.

Percy's face wasn't too comforting. I thought about jumping off the cliff, maybe surviving.

"I would kill you before you ever reached the water," warned Dr. Thorn. "You do not realize who I am, do you?"

Oh, great. He was a mind reader. I satisfied myself with calling him some names in my mind that are better left unsaid.

Dr. Thorn flicked his tail again, another spike flying through the air, right passed Percy's ear.

"Unfortunately, you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead," said Dr. Thorn.

Yep, crazy serial killer with a tail that throws spikes and reads minds. Just another normal day.

"Who wants us?" I demanded angrily. "Because if you with you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I…" My voice faltered. "We've got no one but each other."

"Awww," replied Dr. Thorn in mock sympathy. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."

I was stunned. Was this some kind of orphanage gone wrong that steals kids and puts them in unsuspecting families homes?

"Luke," said Percy at last. You work for Luke."

Who was Luke? The orphanage leader or something?

Dr. Thorn's face twisted into a grimace. "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."

"The general?" said Percy in a bad French accent. He shook his head as if to get rid of the French sound. "I mean… who's the General?"

The sound of helicopter blades reached my ears, and Dr. Thorn looked up. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."

"Where are you taking us?" asked Nico.

"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls," said Dr. Thorn.

"They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and-"

Oh, no. I've heard Nico mouth off before, and he knows way more then a normal ten-year-old should.

"Now, now. You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well… there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."

Um, did he just call us half-bloods? What was that, half-blood, half-Gatorade? I mean, jeez, I only have blood in my veins, and that is all I want, thank you very much.

"The Great what?" asked Percy.

"The stirring of monsters," replied Dr. Thorn with a grin. "The worst of the most powerful are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all. The one that shall bring the downfall of Olympus."

"Okay," I whispered to Percy. "He's completely nuts."

"We have to jump off the cliff into the sea," was Percy's reply.

My suspicions were correct. "Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too."

I never did get his reply, something invisible slammed into me and I hit the ground with an oomph.

Spikes flew over my head. I looked to see the girl with the spiky hair sporting a shield and a spear, probably one of the scariest things I've ever seen in my life. I just hoped she was on our side, whatever side that was.

Grover, in my opinion, was even scarier. First, he had no pants on. Now, usually, when seeing this on a normal boy, (which I am not saying I have or haven't) would make me avert my eyes and escape as fast as I could.

But there was one problem with that. It looked like someone had done some major surgery and cut off the top half of Grover and put him on a goat, hooves and all.

And where the heck were his crutches? I thought he had some incurable disease that kept him disabled. I don't think being half-goat is a disease, but it was certainly incurable.

"For Zeus!" cried the spiky-haired girl.

More Greek mythology people. Great.

They began to battle. The girl stabbed at his head, but it was deflected by Dr. Thorn's… paw? His hand had turned into a giant orange paw that swatted the spear with a clash of claws and metal.

The helicopter was getting closer, but that wasn't the worst of my problems.

Grover leaped forward, taking a pair of those reed pipes you see hippies playing. He played a tune that sounded sort of like those battle scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean.

But that wasn't the weird part. Grass started growing through the snow, weaving together into ropes and wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs.

Wait, wait, there's more. Dr. Thorn started morphing, as in, literally morphing. He kept his face, but that's just about it. The rest of him turned into a lion, complete with a mane.

His leathery spiky tail flicked back and forth, random spikes shooting around and lodging into trees.

"A manticore!" said someone beside me. I jumped and looked at the girl with the blond hair who had magically appeared beside me. The invisible force that had pushed me to the ground.

"Who are you people?" I cried hysterically. "And what is that?"

"A manticore?" gasped my brother. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

Oh, Nico, this was not the time for Mythomagic!

Dr. Thorn clawed Grover's grass rope to smithereens, and turned to us.

"Get down!" screamed the girl beside me. She tackled Nico and I to the ground, and Percy touched his watch, which spiraled out into a shield.

The sound of giant spiky things hitting metal clanged, and Percy grunted with the force of the hits.

Another sound of Dr. Thorn hitting something filled my ears, and Grover hit the ground near us with a painful thump.

"Yield!" called Dr. Thorn.

"Never!" yelled the girl with the spear. She charged at Dr. Thorn, and I thought I was going to see the end of the spear going through him, but then the helicopter came.

It was one of those helicopters you saw in the war games, fully loaded with large guns and scary rockets.

The searchlights blinded the spear wielding girl, and Dr. Thorn smashed her in the side with his tail, making her become airborne.

"No!" yelled Percy. He raced toward the unmoving body, his sword clanging against the spike that was about to stab her in the chest.

Dr. Thorn laughed evilly. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."

Then the sound of a horn filled the air, just like in the movie, Narnia.

Dr. Thorn froze. The very time seemed to freeze as it faded into the night.

"No, it cannot be…" muttered Dr. Thorn.

A silver object flew from the forest and landed on Dr. Thorn's shoulder so hard that he staggered, screaming in pain.

"Curse you!" yelled Dr. Thorn, and he lashed his tail, flicking into the forest. Dozens of arrows flew in reply, actually hitting the spikes and stopping the spikes in their tracks. I thought that only happened in movies. He pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a wail.

Percy tried to attack him, but Dr. Thorn countered with a swat of his tail.

Then almost a dozen girls leaped out of the forest, holding silver bows, wearing silver winter jackets and silver jeans. The oldest was about fourteen, and the youngest were about ten. They were staring at Dr. Thorn as if he had stolen a pair of their silver earrings.

"The Hunters!" cried the blond-haired girl.

"Oh, wonderful," muttered the spiky haired girl.

A girl of about twelve or thirteen stepped up, her bow drawn, the picture of confidence. That was something I wanted to be. I wanted to be strong, with almost no fears. Boldly stepping up to the enemy.

"Permission to kill, my lady?" asked the girl.

Dr. Thorn wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws." He sounded like a little spoiled brat.

"Not so," said another girl, stepping out of the group. She had auburn hair in a ponytail and moon-colored eyes.

"The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast. Zoë, permission granted," said the girl.

"If I can not have these alive, then I shall have them dead!" declared Dr. Thorn.

He lunged for Percy and the spiky-haired girl, knowing they were still dazed.

"No!" screamed the blond girl, and she charged at Dr. Thorn.

"Get back, half-blood!" yelled the girl who had first stepped out of the forest. "Get out of the line of fire!"

The blond girl ignored her, leaping onto Dr. Thorn's back and driving her knife into his mane. He screamed in pain, wiggling around, trying to get her off his back while she hung on for dear life.

"Fire!" Zoë yelled.

"No!" cried Percy.

The hunter girls fired, bombarding Dr. Thorn with arrows. He stumbled backwards, toward the cliff. "This is not the end, Huntress! You will pay!"

And with that happy note, he jumped off the cliff, with the blond still on his back.

"Annabeth!" cried Percy, his voice breaking.

He raced to the edge, but was stopped by the shooting of guns from the helicopter.

The bow and arrow girls scattered. Only the one with the auburn hair stayed.

"Mortals are not allowed to witness my hunt." Then she thrust her hand into the air and the helicopter turned into a flock of crows.

I really hoped the girl wouldn't notice me, seeing as I was mortal.

The girls stepped forward, but Zoë stopped in front of the spiky-haired girl. "You," was all she said.

"Zoë Nightshade." The spiky-haired girl didn't seem to like her. "Perfect timing as usual."

Zoë looked us over contemptuously. "Four half-bloods and a satyr, my lady," she reported.

"Yes," said the girl with the auburn hair. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."

"Annabeth!" screamed Percy again. "You have to let us save her!"

The girls had surrounded us, and they were literally holding Percy down.

"I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help," said the girl with the auburn hair.

Percy struggled to get up.

"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," said the girl.

"Let me go!" Percy cried, shaking. "Who do you think you are?"

Zoë stepped forward, about to slap him across the face.

"No, I sense no disrespect, Zoë. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."

The auburn haired girl looked up, her moon eyes glowing. "I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt."

All I could really think about right now is, _this is the hunt goddess?_

**Chapter 2! What did you think? I tried to give Bianca some humor! :D**

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	3. Immortal? I Think Yes!

**WTH FF? You wouldn't even let me log in this time? Are you trying to give me a freaking stress attack? I happen to like being able to actually check my account, thank you very much.**

**Sorry I didn't update Wednesday, but I had a busy week.**

**But anyways, its here now, so lets get on with the show!**

**Bianca's story continues!**

**I hope Bianca's personality is different then my version of Annabeth's! I try to give Bianca a "Oh my gods, what the heck is happening?" kind of personality. I mean, if I hadn't read Percy Jackson, and someone came up to me and told me I was a demigod (which would be awesome!) I would kinda be questioning their sanity, too.**

**Read, Review, and Favorite!**

**Immortal? I Think Yes!**

I wasn't sure what the heck was going on around here, but apparently this "Artemis" was an important person. I mean, Grover practically groveled at her feet. I half-expected him to start bowing to her, chanting, "You are my savior" or something.

"Get up, goat boy," snapped the girl with the spiky hair. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"

I mean, I got that a friend had just fallen off a cliff and everything, but I think I deserved an explanation for all this. "Whoa," I stopped them. "Hold up. Time out."

I pointed around in a circle, probably looking like an idiot, but hey, I was in shock. "Who… who are you people?"

Yeah, I know, what is this, a cheesy movie? Crazy aliens disguised as humans or whatever, but at this point I really didn't care.

Artemis softened her gaze at me. "It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you? Who are your parents?"

I glance toward Nico, who had a sort of dream-like daze on his face. God, he was always so helpful.

"Our parents are dead," I explained. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but…" I glanced around to see that everyone didn't believe me. "What?" I exclaimed. "I'm telling the truth!"

"You are a half-blood," explained a girl, and I remembered her name was Zoë. Oh, great, more "half-blood" words again. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

Okay, first of all, why was she speaking all old-fashioned? It was kinda the twenty-first century here. And Olympian? What the heck was she talking about? "An Olympian… athlete?" I asked hesitantly.

"No. One of the gods," Zoë said.

"Cool!" Nico said.

Didn't he realize how wacko these people were? Greek gods didn't exist! They were just made to explain things that humans couldn't explain themselves back then, like thunder.

"No! This is not cool!" I replied to him.

Nico began dancing around like a ballerina gone wrong. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six-hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for-"

"Nico, shut up!" I yelled and put my face into my cupped hands. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!"

The people around me looked at us with an expression that could only be defined as pity, and that was _not _something I needed right now.

"Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well… Our lives are dangerous."

Seriously, were these people on something? No one in the right mind would actually believe that the ancient Greeks were right, and gods actually existed.

On the other hand, though, I was just attacked by a crazy spike throwing vice principal, so I guess I should have been expecting something like this. After all, that girl, Annabeth, had jumped off a freaking cliff to save us. It probably wasn't her Plan A, and I'm sure she didn't actually _want _to jump off the cliff, but either way, it had saved our sorry butts.

"Dangerous," I repeated. "Like the girl who fell."

The spiky-haired girl turned her head away. "Do not despair for Annabeth," said Artemis. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."

I wondered half-heartedly if this was the Greek goddess Artemis. What was she again? Goddess of the hunt? Yeah, and she was an eternal maiden.

"Then why won't you let us look for her?" asked Percy beside me.

"She is gone," explained Artemis. "Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend as vanished."

Percy's face fell but he said nothing.

"Ooh!" Nico raised his hand like we were in class. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?"

Dang it, Nico, when will you get it through your thick skull that this is more then just a game!

"He was a manticore," Artemis replied. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they appear."

Well, that put a damper on my day. They just kept coming back. Wonderful.

"Or they hunt us," said the spiky-haired girl.

I shivered, thinking back. "That explains… Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in D.C.?"

"And that bus driver. The one with the ram's horns. I told you that was real!" said Nico.

"That's why Grover has been watching you," explained Percy. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be half-bloods."

"Grover?" I turned to him. "You're a demigod?"

"Well, a satyr, actually." Grover kicked off his shoes, to show his feet. But they weren't feet. They were hooves. I thought I was going to pass out.

"Grover, put your shoes back on," chided the spiky-haired girl. "You're freaking her out."

"My hooves are clean!" protested Grover.

Percy felt the need to save me from this awkward predicament. "Bianca," he started, "we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."

"Camp?" I asked, confused.

"Camp Half-Blood," explained Percy. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay year-round, if you like."

"Sweet, lets go!" yelled Nico enthusiastically.

"Wait," I hesitated. "I don't-"

"There is another option," said Zoë quietly.

"No there isn't!" argued the spiky-haired girl.

They glared at each other, for some reason unknown to me, and frankly, I didn't want to be a part of it. They both had the "If looks could kill" expression.

"We've burdened these children enough," said Artemis, sensing an impending battle. "Zoë, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents, treat the wounded. Retrieve our guest's belongings from the school."

"Yes, my lady," replied Zoë.

"And, Bianca, come with me, I would like to speak with you," Artemis looked at me.

"What about me?" asked Nico.

"Perhaps you can show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy. I'm sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while… as a favor to me?"

Grover nodded enthusiastically. Geez, for an eternal maiden, she sure knows how to get what she wants from boys.

"You bet!" answered Grover. "Come on, Nico!"

Artemis walked away, beckoning me to come with her. I still had doubts about this whole "Greek gods are real and one is a twelve-year-old girl standing in front of me", but hey, it's a crazy world out there.

We walked up to a tent, silver in color, and inside was covered with silky throw-rugs, and comfy looking pillows. A goblet kind of thing stood off to the side, burning brightly with no apparent fuel, but it kept the tent warm and comfortable. Animal pelts lined the wall, and her bow was leaning against a wooden display. Even being three-thousand years old, I had to admit, Artemis had some good taste, if you were into the outdoors-y but still stylish kind of life.

"Hot chocolate?" offered Artemis, holding a steaming cup.

"Yes, thank you," I replied, and wrapped my fingers around the cup to warm my hands.

"Please, sit." Artemis beckoned toward the pillows.

I sat, sinking deeply into the soft plush warmth.

"So," began Artemis. "Let us start with the basics. What has happened here, at this military school?"

I explained about how a lawyer came and brought us out of the hotel, learning that our parents were dead, and being shipped off to Maine.

"And what about the manticore, Dr. Thorn was his name, yes?"

"Well, that's where it got weird," I explained. "Nico and I were at the dance, and he grabbed us and pulled us down the hall. Percy must have noticed something was wrong, and he came looking. Dr. Thorn hid in the shadows with a warning to us that if we gave him away we would die."

"That must have been much pressure," commented Artemis. "What happened next?"

"Well, Percy came around the corner, and I was trying to figure out a way to warn him of the manticore-"

"You were trying to warn him, even if that meant a risk of being killed?" she interrupted.

"Uh, yeah. Well, Percy got hit in the shoulder, and I guess the spike was poisoned or something. He pushed us outside, and summoned the helicopter. I guess, well, you know what happened next."

Artemis nodded. "You are a true maiden. Your mother, whoever she may be, should be rightly proud."

A deer walked into the tent, then, and I widened my eyes as it stepped lightly over pillowed and sank it's head into Artemis's lap. Not fazed, Artemis stroked it's head. "Bianca, meet ελάφι or Deer, in English language. Unfortunately, words have changed, but in ancient times ελάφι meant Herd Leader. Normally, it is a buck's job, but ελάφι here, likes to be the leading lady.

"Um hi." It felt stupid to say hello to a deer, but I had a feeling if I didn't either Artemis or Herd Leader would kill me.

"You have the makings of a great Hunter, Bianca di Angelo. Think upon this, and tell me your decision. In the mean time, Zoë?"

"Yes, My Lady?" said Zoë, ducking her head into the tent.

"Please fetch the boy, Percy Jackson. I would like to speak to him."

"Of course, My Lady."

A few seconds later, we heard the sound of feet crunching on snow. Percy poked his head in, glancing around the tent.

"Join us, Percy Jackson," invited Artemis. Percy sat across from her, while Artemis studied him with those moon-colored eyes.

"Are you surprised by my age?" asked Artemis at last.

"Uh… a little," admitted Percy.

"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, all young maidens for whom I patron, before they go astray."

"Go astray?" asked Percy, confused.

"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."

"Oh."

I thought about telling Artemis that girls started becoming like that a little younger now, but I reconsidered. I admired the Hunters, and I didn't want to offend their, as Artemis said, "patron".

Zoë sat down beside Artemis and glared at Percy accusingly.

"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," said Artemis. "It is very rare we have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one seen at this camp…" Artemis turned to Zoë. "Which one was it?"

"That boy in Colorado. You turned him into a jackalope," replied Zoë.

Okay, first of all, how the heck did a jackalope come to exist? It was like a rabbit with horns! Did some god with some weird nuclear reaction power, fuse the antelope and rabbit together? Because I mean, seriously, like a rabbit going to be _soo _much tougher now that it has its own horns. It was just weird.

"Ah, yes," said Artemis, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes. At any rate, Percy, I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the… mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you."

Percy told his side of the story.

Artemis stroked her bow thoughtfully when he finished. "I feared this was the answer."

Zoë leaned forward. "The scent, my lady?"

"Yes," said Artemis, grim.

"What scent?" asked Percy.

"Things are stirring that I have hunted in millennia. Prey so old I have nearly forgotten," answered Artemis.

Then she stared inquisitively at Percy. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."

"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.' "

"No, no," said Artemis absently. "After that."

"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me," said Percy.

Across from me, Zoë paled. She looked at Artemis, about to say something, but the goddess held up her hand.

"Go on," she motioned to Percy.

"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot-"

"Stirring," I corrected.

"Yeah. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all. The one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.' "

Artemis sat stock still, processing this new information.

"Maybe he was lying," suggested Percy.

The goddess shook her head. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."

Zoë put on her brave face, or tried to, but I saw the fear sparkling in her eyes. This "monster" was a serious thing.

"We will leave right away, my lady," said Zoë.

"No, Zoë, I must do this alone."

But Artemis-"

"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me," ordered Artemis.

"As…as you wish, my lady." I could tell Zoë was trying not to argue.

"I will find this creature and I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods how much danger we are in."

Okay, I had barely wrapped my mind around this twelve-year-old girl being a goddess, so the whole "Council of the Gods" just showed me how complicated my new life was going to be.

"You know what the monster is?" asked Percy.

"Let us pray that I am wrong," said Artemis as she tightened her grip on her bow.

"Can goddesses pray?" asked Percy. I wondered the same. If people were supposed to pray to you, then who would you pray to? Yourself? Self-centered much?

Artemis gave a small smile. "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a small task for you."

"Does it involved getting turned into a jackalope?" he checked. I stifled a giggle, imagining Percy as a horned rabbit.

"Sadly, no. I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."

"What?" cried Zoë. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there-"

"Yes, I know," said Artemis grimly. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are at need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

I realized that I really wanted to know what happened to Camp Half-Blood when the Hunters came. I think it would be quite and interesting story.

Zoë muttered under her breath, and I caught the words _fire _and _stupid boys_.

"And now for one last decision to make." Artemis turned to me and I gulped. Should I join the Hunters? What about Nico? God, this was so hard! "Have you made up your mind, my girl?" asked Artemis.

"I'm still thinking about it," I stalled.

"Wait, thinking about what?" asked Percy.

"They… they've invited me to join the Hunt," I replied.

"What? But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive."

"It is not the only way for a girl," said Zoë.

Percy seemed to be in some sort of demigod shock. "Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a Pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and… I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"

"To begin with," said Zoë. "Immortality."

I was beginning to think she had a point there.

Percy looked at Zoë incredulously. "She's kidding, right?"

"Zoë rarely kids about anything," replied Artemis. "My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal… unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."

"What oath?" asked Percy. Well, wasn't he a curious one.

"To foreswear romantic love forever. To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."

"Like you?" asked Percy, and the goddess nodded.

"So you just go around the country looking for half-bloods-"

"Not just half-bloods," said Zoë. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals-"

"Which are you, then?" asked Percy boldly.

"That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice."

"Bianca, this crazy," Percy tried to convince. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter!"

"Certainly not," agreed the goddess. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."

"Hey!" protested Percy.

My mind was already made up though. I just hoped it was the right one.

"You can see him from time to time," said Artemis to me. "But you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."

The way Artemis said those things, it just made me feel like becoming a Hunter was part of my destiny, my legacy.

"A new family," I repeated. "Free of responsibility."

"Bianca you can't do this, its nuts!" pleaded Percy.

I looked toward Zoë. "Is it worth it?" I asked.

She nodded. "It is."

I took a deep breath and said, "What do I have to do?"

I hoped there wasn't some kind of weird voodoo that had to be performed.

"Say this," said Zoë. "I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."

"I… I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis," I repeated.

"I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."

I repeated them. "That's it?" I asked afterward.

"If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."

"I accept it," said Artemis.

A rush of cool wind went through me, calming my mind, strengthening my muscles, and it caressed me, flowing the breath of immortality into my lungs and giving me strength for what lay ahead. I felt like I had aged one-hundred years then gone back in time.

I opened my eyes. "I feel… stronger."

"Welcome, sister," said Zoë, and I beamed. I was one of them.

"Remember your pledge. It is now your life," said Lady Artemis.

I think Percy was still in some kind of shock.

"Do not despair, Percy Jackson. You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, we can stay there.

"Great," said Percy, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How are we supposed to get there?"

Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoë, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother.

Zoë didn't look too thrilled about it, but she told me to follow her. I stopped when I passed Percy. "I'm sorry Percy, but I want this. I really, really do."

Zoë showed me how un-pitch a tent, and we and the other Hunters quickly piled everything together.

The Hunters whistled, and wolves padded out of the forest, silver as the moon. They petted the animals, feeding them with treats and ruffling their fur.

One came up to me, a pup by the looks of it. Zoë stared at me. "It is unusual for a wolf to pick a maiden so quickly, but if the wolf claims thy, it is a bond for life. You may name her."

I kneeled down next to the wolf, ruffling its ears. Stars danced in her eyes. "I shall name you Star," I royally announced, but one of the girls yelled back, "Taken!"

Oh, darn it. "How about Moonshine?" I called back.

"She's all yours!"

I smiled. The name fit better anyway.

"Come on," said Zoë. "We must meet Lady Artemis's brother."

"Who's that?" I asked.

The other Hunters groaned.

"Apollo," replied Zoë grimly.

Oh, this was going to be interesting.

**Hey, finally a longer chapter! OMG! Haha.**

**Had to add in that wolf part, because, hey, who doesn't want a silver wolf for a partner, right! Haha :D**

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	4. Apollo the Idiot

**Wassup, Fanfictioners? My vacation is starting out pretty good :D I slept until 2:30 yesterday hehe.**

**Forgot I was getting my haircut today, so this went in a little later then it was supposed to, but oh well, it's in, isn't it?**

**If you didn't already know, there will be no updates all this week because I am on vacation, but there may be two chapters this Sunday for your patience! Keep strong, hehe.**

Son of The Sea 100896 **You will soon find out, my friend, haha. And thank you! ******bows** lol just kidding :P**

TheReadAndReviewer **Exactly what I was planning! Mind readers! O_O hehe**

Summergirl881 **That means a lot. Like, seriously. **

**Okey-dokie, on with the story!**

**Read, Review, and Favorite!**

**Apollo the Idiot**

After being assured by Zoë that Moonshine would be safe, we waited for Apollo to arrive. I didn't know how the heck he was going to get here with the giant snowstorm that was raging, and the fact that we were on a cliff, with a tiny little road leading up to it.

But, he also was a god, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Artemis left me the job of telling Nico of my decision to become a Hunter, which let me tell you, led to a pretty awkward conversation.

"Hey, Nico, can I talk to you?" I asked.

"Sure, Bianca," he answered.

I sat down in the snow, my new Hunter gear keeping me warm, while Nico leaned against a tree.

"Do you know much about the Hunters?" I asked.

"From the looks of it, just a bunch of girls with wolves for pets."

I heard a hiss of annoyance from a nearby Hunter, but chose to ignore it.

"Well, yes, that's true. We are also sworn to Artemis, to follow her on her journeys to destroy and hunt down dangerous and rare monsters."

"Yeah, but… wait, did you say we?" asked Nico.

I nodded slowly. "Yes, Nico, Artemis made me a Hunter."

"So, now what, I have to become a Hunter too? I want to go to Camp Half-Blood!" complained Nico.

I looked into his dark eyes, almost exactly the same as mine. "You can't go with me Nico. Look around. What do you see, or rather, what do you not see?"

Nico gave me a confused look, but passed his eyes around the small campsite as Hunters packed their things.

"Uh, tents, girls, wolves… Wait, aren't there any boys here?"

"No. Artemis is a maiden. A maiden is…"

Well, I wasn't going to go into much detail for _that_.

"Well, anyway, she doesn't allow boys. And that includes you, Nico. After we get to Camp Half-Blood and Artemis returns, I'm going to leave. You, Nico, are going to stay with Percy. I know he'll take care of you." Dang it, Artemis, why did you have to leave it on me to explain everything?

"B-but, we, we're brother and sister. You can't leave me!" Nico cried, his face twisted in anguish.

"Face it, Nico, I'm not always going to be around. I would have to leave when we got older, anyway. We would have to face the inevitable sooner or later. So why not sooner? I know that this is hard. But I really want this. I want to fit in with these girls. I admire them, Nico. Is that so bad to want something?"

I was pretty sure I had him on that one. After all, I stole that from what he had said, so many months ago, when he wanted the Mythomagic game.

"I can't believe you'd be so selfish! I hate you!" cried Nico, and he ran off to where Percy and Thalia stood, waiting for Apollo.

I stood slowly, wiping the snow off my new silver parka, and rubbing my hands together to get the circulation going.

The sky began to lighten, and Artemis said, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during the winter."

"You're um, waiting for the sunrise?" asked Percy.

"For my brother, yes," answered Artemis.

Wait, was she waiting for the sunrise? Was Apollo some like, early riser? The saying "Rises with the sun," came to mind.

Percy looked confused but said nothing. "It's not exactly as you think," explained Artemis.

"Oh, okay," said Percy his face clearing. "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a-"

A bright flash speared along the horizon, temporarily blinding me. I've seen some sunrises in my life, and let me tell you, they don't suddenly spark up. This was like a blazing fire.

"Don't look. Not until he parks," advised Artemis.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait until he parks? I know Apollo was the sun god, but science had proved that the sun was a giant ball of plasma, like a zillion light-years away.

I averted my eyes, squinting, as the light got brighter and brighter, even behind my eyelids.

I felt an intense heat, like someone just lit a fire in front of me. Wait, that was too soft. Like someone just blew up a bomb, small one obviously, in my face. Either way, it wasn't pleasant.

Then, blissful nothingness. At least, the heat was mostly gone, and I wasn't blind. I opened my eyes to see an awesome red car. I mean, like, those cars you see in the movies, the, the… dang it, what do you call them? It was like the Macaroni Spider…. Close, but not quite. Oh, yeah, the Maserati Spyder. Percy, next to me looked like he was in car heaven. I guessed he wanted a car like this in his near or far future.

A guy stepped out, with sandy-blond hair, looking like your average surfer teenager, complete with the muscular body. Ahh… Wait, wait, I was a Hunter now. No boys. Ever. Never. I discarded the thought without a hint of guilt. What was the point of guys when you could have freaking immortality?

"Wow, Apollo is hot," said Thalia.

_Don't think about it, don't think about it, _I urged myself. _Think immortality, living forever, la la, eternal shame if Artemis reads my thoughts, anything else… _

"He's the sun god," answered Percy. I don't think that's what Thalia meant.

"That's not what I meant," she replied. Well, I must be a mind reader.

"Little sister!" crowed the surfer, obviously Apollo. I mean, who else could appear like the blazing sun and melt the snow around us other then the sun god himself? "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!

You know, I was beginning to realize why Artemis had sworn off boys. More then ten minutes with this guy, and I would have torn my hair out by its roots.

"I'm fine, Apollo. And I'm not your little sister," sighed Artemis.

"Hey, I was born first," reasoned Apollo.

"We're twins. How many millennia do we have to argue-"

"So what's up?" interjected Apollo. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"

"I need a favor," said Artemis, gritting her teeth. "I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

"Sure, sis!" answered Apollo enthusiastically. Then he raised his hands dramatically. Okay, there was no way Artemis and Apollo could be siblings, let alone twins. They were just so different. But I guess when you're a god, you can be whatever the hack you wanna be.

"I can feel a haiku coming on," continued Apollo.

Around me, the Hunters groaned. Apparently they had met Apollo before, and it sure didn't seem like a good experience.

"_Green grass breaks through snow," _he began.

It didn't seem so bad.

"_Artemis pleads for my help," _Maybe I should have waited until he was done.

"_I am so cool." _Well, not only was he a horrible poet, he couldn't seem to count syllables correctly.

"That last line was only four syllables," said Artemis. Well, this mind reading thing was getting kinda creepy.

"Was it?" frowned Apollo.

"Yes. What about _I am so big-headed_?" asked Artemis snidely.

"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm." Then Apollo started murmuring to himself, probably thinking of a two-syllable word to describe himself.

Zoë turned to us. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to listen to one more poem starting, _There once was a goddess from Sparta-"_

"I got it!" shouted Apollo gleefully. "_I am so awesome. _That's five syllables!_"_ Well, good for you Apollo. Good for you.

"And now, sis. Transformation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing, I was just about ready to roll," said Apollo, cracking his knuckles.

"These demigods will also need a ride," said Artemis, pointing to where Thalia, Percy, Grover, and Nico stood. "Some of Chiron's campers."

"No problem," said Apollo. "Lets see… Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."

Thalia blushed. I had to admit, Apollo could be charming. Darn it, Bianca, get a grip already. "Hi, Lord Apollo."

"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half-sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad your back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember this one time-" started Apollo.

Okay, first, how on earth was Thalia a tree? And second, what was that story Apollo was about to say? Wait, from all I've experienced today, well this last hour, I didn't even want to know. I remember listening to a book on tape by the author of Tamora Pierce, where the powerful mage Numair turned an evil bad guy into a tree. But that wasn't the point. Lost track of what I was saying, so lets just drop it.

"Brother," said Artemis. "You should get going."

"Oh, right," muttered Apollo. Then he looked more closely at Percy. "Percy Jackson?"

"Yeah," said Percy. "I mean, yes sir."

Apollo studied him closely, even squinting his eyes, as if that could make Percy easier to identify or something. Well, what did I know about gods? Maybe they squinted their eyes to see everyone's personality or something.

"Well, we better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way. West. And if you miss it, you miss it," said Apollo, standing up straight.

I glanced uncertainly at the car. It would be a pretty tight fit. As in, three or four people sitting on my lap, tight fit.

"Cool car," commented Nico.

"Thanks, kid," answered Apollo.

"But how will we all fit?" asked Nico.

"Oh," said Apollo, momentarily narrowing his eyes in concern, but his face cleared. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out if sports-car mode, but I suppose…" He took out some car keys and clicked what I guessed was the un-lock button. The car beeped, then began to glow until I had to squint. When it died, I saw one of those shuttle buses, like the ones that you used for basketball games for high school away games.

"Right, everybody in," he said, as if the car hadn't just morphed like the Magic School Bus. What was he, Ms. Frizzle in disguise?

"Start loading," said Zoë to the other Hunters. She picked up her own bag, but Apollo put a hand on her arm. "Here, sweetheart, let me get that,"

From the look in Zoë's eyes and the way she recoiled, half expected Apollo to be slapped across the face.

"Brother," said Artemis, anger seeping through her deceptively calm voice. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."

Note to self. Never anger Artemis. You will not come out the victor.

Apollo spread his hands in an apologizing gesture. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"

"Hunting," said Artemis. "It's none of your business."

"I'll find out. I see all. I know all."

"Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!" snorted Artemis.

"No, no! I never mess around."

The goddess rolled her eyes in a most un-goddess like gesture. "I will see you by the winter solstice. Zoë, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I do," she said, turning to us.

"Yes, my lady," answered Zoë.

Artemis knelt to the ground, focusing on the snow.

I instantly thought of a witty reply that would possible get me killed. _Yes, Artemis. Feel the snow. It will tell you secrets…_

Artemis stood up, oblivious to the small smile I hid, and said, "So much danger. The beast must be found." Then she raced off into the woods, the wolves trailing behind.

Apollo turned to us jingling his car keys. "So who wants to drive?"

The Hunters and I finished putting things into the bus, then we all crammed into the back. I turned to look hesitantly at Nico, who was bouncing up and down beside Percy, all excited to ride the sun-bus.

"Come and sit with me," said a girl, touching my shoulder lightly. I'll introduce you to the girls. I'm Phoebe by the way." She was a large girl, but not in weight. More the muscle mass and bone structure.

I sat down in one of the seats, my hair falling in front of my eyes instinctively. "You wanna clip?" asked the girl from across the aisle.

"Um, I-" but the girl dug around in her pocket and produced a clip, handing it over to me.

"Put it in," she urged. "I want to see you face."

Hesitantly, I clipped back my hair and looked at the girl.

"Thanks," I answered.

"No problem. Looks better that way. I'm Tara by the way. Tara Summers. I just joined last summer. Best decision of my life. Who needs boys?" said Tara.

A murmur of agreement went through the girls around me. I sensed that Tara was an easy going type of girl, one you could get into a half-hour conversation with about something boring, like corn. She had brown hair and hazel eyes, thinly built, with freckles splattered across her face and a smile that never seemed to leave her lips.

"This is Shelly, Ann, Karen, Tina, Cammie, Isabella, Emily, Leah, and Hannah. They all have last names of course, but the first names are enough to remember. And also, how could I forget, the wonderful Zoë, the second in command of our group." Tara gestured toward where the huntress sat, next to who I thought was Cammie.

"You flatter me, Tara. Of course, I may be the oldest hunter, but everyone is a part of this group. Phoebe, for instance, is our best tracker, and Tara is widely known or her personality and cooking." To this, Tara beamed. Zoë's praise meant a lot.

The bus started up, and I glanced forward to see Thalia at the wheel. I nudged Phoebe, who was having an animated conversation with Hannah about which was better, boys being turned into deer or squirrels.

She turned to me. "What?"

"Um, should Thalia be driving?" I asked uncertainly.

Zoë, overhearing my question, looked up. "Oh, this is not good."

I took that as a bad sign, and quickly found the seat belt. The other girls did the same.

Thalia was stiffened up, her knuckles white with the tension of gripping the steering wheel so hard. Percy seemed to be trying to tell her what to do, but to no avail.

We took off, leaving a burning circle of smoke, and then we were flying. Yep, just a random glowing bus flying in the air. Nothing weird about that. Nothing. At. All.

I glanced out the window and instantly regretted it. We were flying high above the ocean, ice starting to freeze over some of the towns, until Thalia jerked the bus down and left.

I was glad all that I had had today was some hot chocolate. Nothing else would stay safely in my stomach for this ride.

I heard a girly scream, and the giggling girls around me told me that it had been Percy. Ha, the macho guy screaming like a little girl. I guess it was to be expected.

The landmass of what I guessed was Long Island approached, and I grabbed the armrest. This was going to be a bumpy landing.

"BRAKE!" yelled Apollo from the front, and bus flipped forward, as in, forty-five degree angle, and we smashed into the water below us.

The wind was knocked out of me, and I gasped, glancing around at the Hunters, who all had an equally shocked and fear-filled face.

One thing was for sure. I was never, ever, in my life, taking Air Apollo again.

**I tried to give the Hunters normal names, some of them on the edge of old, just because some were immortal.**

**Whaddja think about this one? I thought that Bianca deserved some slip-ups with the guy department, because it was her first day as a Hunter in all.**

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	5. Girls Night Out

**Hola, my amigos! **

**How's it goin? Have you ever had those typing moments where your hand decides to spaz out and what you're typing suddenly goes skfhalkdj? Well, I've been having that trouble lately, probably because I got some PEZ for an early Easter present, and I CANT STOP EATING IT! Be ready for a carazzy chapter!**

**Plus, I went a little haywire on this because I have free rein on what happens! Tell me if it's a little too crazy kay? Plus, I'm in a really good and hyper mood at 1:40 AM writing this chapter, and I've been listening Put Your Records On repeat for about 10 minutes, so be ready for some um… don't know how to explain it…. But anyways! But that's only for the first half, the next half I'm really really tired, so this might seem a little bipolar.**

Chick With Brains **First of all, love the fanfic name, but that's not the point. Haha totally agree about Apollo.. sigh haha :D Also maybe Poseidon, but he seems a little fishy to me… hehe…. Gods curse my stupid puns.**

FlamingWombat8711 **Haha, you have my type of humor :D**

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**Girl's Night Out**

I had to admit, Camp Half-Blood was pretty cool, but after seeing all the stuff you could do as a Hunter, ex, immortality, turning guys into animals, the accuracy as an arch, friends forever, literally… well, the list goes on.

What did Camp Half-Blood have? Cabins decorated with cheesy Christmas lights. Yeah, yeah, I know, Christmas is awesome, but I'm just not the celebrating type.

Apollo got out of the bus, emptying our bags from the vehicle. I had acquired a sleeping bag and an empty bag, along with most of my stuff from the military school that some of the Hunters had brought down.

Percy was talking to Nico when Zoë and the rest of the Hunters stepped up.

"-little extra challenge. Come on, I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoë have you met-" said Percy.

"I know Chiron," answered Zoë curtly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me." She gestured to us with a flick of her hand, grabbing her own bag.

"I'll show you the way," offered Grover. I rolled my eyes. The Hunters were not ones to be shown the way by boys. But then, was Grover a boy, being a satyr and all? I decided not to go into great detail there.

"We know the way."

"Oh, really, it's no trouble," said Grover walking toward the cabins. "It's easy to get lost here if you don't-" _thunk. _Grover tripped over a canoe and jumped back up. "-like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"

Zoë rolled her eyes. She knew as well as I did that she wasn't going to get rid of Grover. We walked away, and I passed Nico.

"Have fun, okay? I love you," I whispered into his ear, but he turned away from me with an angry look. Ouch. Rejected by your own brother.

Zoë stopped at a silver cabin, the sides carved with animals, running and leaping. A silver bow was carved above the door, elegant and strong, the symbol of Artemis.

"Here's your cabin, ladies," said Grover, bowing ceremoniously.

He got an acknowledging nod from Zoë, who then stepped into the cabin, the others quickly following her lead. I stepped in, looking around, my eyes widened.

The inside of the cabin was even more elaborate then the outside, stars twinkling on the ceiling, and not the cheap glow-in-the-dark ones, mind you, but things that looked like actual stars, shining down on us.

"That bed is mine!" said Tara, ruining the beautiful moment. She leaped in the air, landing on the bed near the window. "I love being a Hunter and all, but jeez, do I miss beds!" she said, rolling over.

The other Hunters laughed.

"Yes," said Zoë dryly. "Beds are better then immortality. Thee should be more grateful."

"Oh, you know I'm grateful. If you guys hadn't found me, I would still be at that bloody orphanage," said Tara, giving a goofy smile.

Cammie noticed me standing awkwardly by the door. "Come on, Bianca, you're one of us now, take a bunk. I think I have some interesting stories to tell you, about some…well… interesting Hunter adventures. That's usually how we initiate the newbies. Right, Tara?" said Cammie with a sly grin.

"Oh, gods, don't start that again," said Tara. "The Hunters decided to play a little trick on me, telling me really freaky stories that should be better left unsaid," she explained to me, throwing a quick glare to the rest of the girls.

"You know we were just pulling your leg," laughed Tina.

"Yeah, sure," said Tara, rolling her eyes. "Now let's take it easy on the new girl, tell her some of the more… amusing incidents that have happened. Now, Zoë of course, has seen the most, but unfortunately, she doesn't have the greatest sense of humor. She probably lost it somewhere in those thousands of years of immortality."

"Your easygoing nature never ceases to annoy me, Tara," said Zoë, bitter sweetness. "But unfortunately, Lady Artemis has forbidden me from doing you any harm."

At this point I was like, whhaaat? I mean, internal fights between Hunters would never turn out okay, until I saw the smirk Zoë had on her face, and the twinkle of amusement in Tara's eyes.

"Okay, girls, so what should we start with? Centaurs or giant badger?" asked Tina.

"Centaurs, definitely. Plus, Ann's the best one at telling stories," said Isabella. The others murmured in agreement.

Ann blushed with pleasure. "I'm glad y'all think of me like that. Okay, so we were walking along over in New York City, right? Just strolling along and all that. Leah, here, wanted to visit Hershey's in Times Square, and see the great wall of M&M's. I mean, who wouldn't? Artemis agreed we needed a vacation, even in this wasn't milady's ideal place for a field trip. She's more of a nature type of goddess, if you know what I mean. Not one for big cities."

I chuckled. That was an understatement.

"So all of us were ready, bags in hand to catch all the chocolaty goodness that were going to come out of those tubes. That's when things started to go wrong. Centaurs are attracted to sweet things, mostly because of their nature. Chiron is the only centaur I've ever seen resist the power of root beer. They literally stormed the place. I don't think I've ever been closer over ten horse butts at the same time. And I don't want to again," said Ann, laughing.

"They took almost everything, or at least all the good stuff, y'all know I hate the spicy candy. Then they disappeared, a huge sack money dropped on the counter. I still don't know where they got the money, and to tell y'all the truth, I don't really wanna know."

"Then, I kid you not, Leah had the biggest fit I've ever seen a twelve year old immortal shrimp have. No offense of course, Leah, but you are on the small side. She went totally haywire, forcing us to go after the centaurs, where she threatened to end their lives with a _fork. _That's all we had on us, since she made us move out so quickly. You should have seen her. It was like a blond hurricane. I never knew a fork could do so much damage."

We were all laughing now, even Leah, who was completely red-faced. I could see Tara out of the corner of my eye, literally crying as she held her stomach with laughter.

"In the end, we did get our M&M's, just not the way we had previously planned it. Of course-"

_Knock, knock. _"Hey, girls, I hate to interrupt your little story time, but its time for dinner," said Grover from outside.

Was he listening to our conversation? The word STALKER appeared in black and white in my mind.

The entire cabin got quiet. "Um thank you, Grover," called Tara. "We'll be out in a minute."

"Okay, I'll be waiting!" said Grover.

"We'll be going to dinner _alone." _Zoë spoke up threateningly.

"Oh, yeah, of course, Zoë!" said Grover quickly, and the sound of hooves disappeared into the distance.

We headed off, and I looked around at the camp. This was where Nico would be living without me, for years, while I'm off with the Hunters. A pang of regret went though me. What was Nico going to do without me?

As I got the food with the other Hunters, the thought still worried me.

"Hey, Bianca, you okay?" asked Hannah.

"Oh, what? Sorry, I'm just thinking."

"I was saying that we put some of our food in the brazier to honor Artemis. Just put some food there and then we can eat at the table," said Hannah.

"Oh, um, okay," I said. Wasn't it kinda weird, just burning food? It wasn't like the gods would eat it anyway, I mean, hot dogs or ambrosia? I think you know the answer to that one. Either way, I put some tater tots into the fire, murmuring the word Artemis as the other Hunters did.

We all sat down on the silver table, carved with animals just like the cabin. As we ate, Cammie told me about this hilarious incident involving an empousa and several cans of Cheez Wiz. You don't really wanna know the details, but I learned a pretty good lesson. Cheez Wiz equals valuable weapon.

Then Phoebe challenged me to an arm wrestling contest, which of course, I lost many times to, but hey, I didn't care, I was having fun.

And when I went to be bed that night, I looked up at the stars of my ceiling, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like I belonged.

**If there are more errors then usual, blame it on my mom, she was poking me with a fork.**

**And, yes, I know, short chapter…. Like I said yesterday… BRAIN CRAMP! But, I keep my promises, so it is updated today!**

**The next Annabeth and Bianca updates will be coming somewhere between late afternoon to early night today!**

**Hope you liked it!**

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	6. There's a Dead Person Walking Towards Me

**Hola, my Fanfictioning friends! Gods, I'm running out of hello's to say haha.**

**I know, I know, I'm slacking... blame... well just me I guess.**

**I am doing this update instead of a final draft due TOMORROW because I love you guys so much that I think I can sacrifice a few hours to finish this up. Be happy! Haha**

**And since I got so many comments on this, yes, my mother was poking me with a fork. And my friends think I'm weird. They wouldn't last a day with my family hehe.**

**Anyways, we were watching a movie, (or she was, I was typing FF) and suddenly I felt a poke. I looked up to see my mom with the slyest grin on her face. I tried to get the fork, but to no avail, haha. It went on for about ten minutes before I finally caught the fork and threw it into the sink.**

Cassie **Very true, very true. That's why I'd be a demigod if I had the choice! :D**

Carter Lee Grace** I actually welcome the criticism. It helps me get better! Thank you!**

**Read, Review, and Favorite!**

**There's a Dead Person Walking Towards Me**

Halfway into the night, I woke up to hear someone screaming.

"Milady, Artemis, NO!"

I jumped up, hitting my head on the top bunk.

"Ouch," I said, rubbing my head, where I was sure there was going to be a giant, egg-sized bump in a few minutes.

"Oh my gods, Zoë, what's wrong?" called Tara, frightened.

"I-It's Lady Artemis. She's... she's gone... Something took her!" said Zoë, her eyes wide open with horror.

She got out of her bed, shaking. "Bianca, Phoebe, with me. We need to talk to Chiron."

I groaned inwardly, rolling my shoulders. If being a Hunter meant getting up at three o'clock in the morning, my internal life was going to be a nightmare.

I heaved myself out of bed, rubbing my eyes. "Lead on, Zoë," I mumbled.

We walked swiftly and silently through the seemingly empty camp. A few times I thought I heard a rustle behind me, but when I looked, nothing was there. I was getting paranoid.

We stopped at the giant blue house, its windows dark and spooky. Zoë was either a lot braver then I was, or she simply didn't care. She walked up the porch and pounded on the door.

I heard the sound of... hooves? Okay, who let a horse into the house? That's just uncivilized, let alone disgusting. What if it has to go to the bathroom? If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not much of a horse person.

The door opened, and I saw a man- no, wait, a horse... Man-horse? Gods, this was crazy. I had a freaking man-horse thing in front of me, his hair, or rather, coat a brilliant white. He had a beard interlaced with gray hairs, but I could see the powerful muscles in his arms.

Now, normally, I would be like, 'What the heck?' but right now I felt like laughing. I must have been seriously sleep deprived, or the sight of seeing a man-horse with curlers in his tail. A random ADHD thought came to me. How in the world did he sleep? Like a horse? Or in a bed? Gods, I really didn't even want to know.

"Zoë, has something happened?" asked the man... horse... thing... oh, heck I didn't know what to call him.

"I am afraid there is some bad news, Chiron. Milady Artemis has been... taken. Kidnapped. The Hunter's and I must rescue her before the solstice. We must leave by tomorrow at the latest," said Zoë.

"Zoë, I know of your concern, but you cannot simply leave now. You know the orders from Artemis. Stay at least for the capture the flag event we have scheduled for tomorrow night. We will have a meeting about it later, with all the heads of the cabins," said the horse-man, Chiron.

"But thy campers have nothing to do with Artemis! They are made from the… impure. And besides, you know full well what happened last time the Hunters stayed for more then a few days." Zoë's eyes showed anger, but deep inside them, I saw the fear for her patron. If Artemis was gone, what would happen to me? I knew Artemis could never truly die, but it was possible for her to be kidnapped. Persephone had been taken too, as I recalled from my sixth grade year of Greek mythology.

"Just wait until tomorrow night. We can have a meeting, consult the Oracle. You can't just storm off after Artemis with no plans. You must know that. What would your Lady do?"

Zoë was mad, but she saw the sense in Chiron's reasons.

"Fine," she relented. "But no longer then two days, or my Hunters and I will be gone."

Chiron nodded, and rubbed his eyes. "Now that this is settled, get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

Zoë nodded, yawning. "Come on, Bianca, Phoebe. Lets go back to our cabin."

I nodded, asleep on my feet. Again, I heard a rustle behind me, and I spun around, just in time to see a glimpse of a shadow jumping behind a bush.

"Zoë," I hissed, gesturing to bush.

She turned, walking silently and swiftly toward it, and grabbed something.

"Ah, hey!" said a voice. I suppressed a groan. It was Grover.

"What are you doing here, satyr?" asked Zoë.

"Oh, umm… just checking the shrubs for… worms?" said Grover, uncertainly.

_Slap! _"Get out of here, boy," said Zoë, wiping her hand on her shirt.

Grover stumbled, then got up smiling, a red mark in the shape of a fist becoming brighter on his face. "Goodnight, Hunters!"

"Gods, I swear satyrs are the most persistent guys I've ever met," muttered Phoebe.

"Mhm," agreed Zoë. "Lets go back to sleep."

The next morning was a depressing one, with the Hunters all upset. I even caught a few crying. There wasn't much emotion from me, simply because I had been a Hunter for around two days, and I had only met the goddess for about twenty minutes. Zoë put on her brave face and comforted most of the Hunters, but all in all spirits were down. I think the only thing that the Hunters were looking forward to was kicking the campers' butts in capture the flag.

Me, well, I was not so ready for the game. When Tara told me that it involved swords, spears, and other pointy objects that could potentially kill me, that certainly put a damper on my day. She reassured me that everyone played fair, no seriously harmful injuries, at most a broken bone or two.

_Great,_ I thought miserably. _I'm going to be mutilated by a spear. _

Finally the hour came, right after dinner. Some Hunters were still red-eyed, but I could see excitement glowing in their eyes at the chance of a challenge. IT had apparently been a long time since they've been back here, three years at least.

"Alright, Hunters," said Zoë, gathering us together. "We shall perform the Eagle Tactic. You know the drill."

"Um, what about me?" I asked hesitantly. All this eagle tactic mumbo jumbo sounded way too confusing.

Zoë looked me over. I was obviously not the offensive type. Despite the year of military camp, my upper-body strength was horrible. I couldn't even do a pull-up. Sad, yes, but the truth.

"Defense. Just guard the flag. Hunters will be roaming the forest, so we will hear you call for help. Do _not _try to take someone on your own. We haven't even started your training," she decided.

"Trust me, you've got no problem there. I'm nearly positive all of them are out to kill me," I answered, and everyone laughed.

We put the flag in a clearing so that we could tell if anyone was sneaking up on them. The other Hunters dispersed through the forest silently, blending into the shadows of the forest. I hoped I would be able to do that one day.

Well, it was just me and my thoughts now. I scanned the forest, looking for movement in the trees. I could see why Zoë put me as defense. Nothing ever happened. I doubted that anybody, even Percy could get through their "Eagle Tactic," I didn't know what that was, but it sounded pretty cool and efficient.

The sound of heavy footfalls approached and I spun around to see Percy, his eyes aflame with determination as he raced toward me.

Oh, crap. What the heck was I going to do now? I probably should have moved out of the way, but I was too busy having a panic attack.

He plowed into me, all his weight pushing me to the ground, and I landed on my back with a painful _oomph _in the snow.

He grabbed the flag, shouting a quick "Sorry!" before racing off into the forest again.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, bub," I muttered, getting up and wiping the snow off me. At least it had cushioned my fall.

I started jogging after him, but I knew I could never catch up. He had a head start and was probably faster then me.

The sounds of outrage filled the field behind me, and I turned to see Thalia red with rage, as she watched Percy and the flag disappear through the trees. I guessed he wasn't supposed to do that.

She started sprinting after him, passing me with a quick nod of acknowledgement, and closed the distance between her and the boy who was probably about to die from her rage.

I saw Zoë sprinting to our side, the flag in her hands, easily evading campers without the slightest hesitance. I guess that's what thousands of years of training did for you.

She leaped across the boundary line, a creek, and slammed into Percy, who was desperately trying to get to his side first.

Thalia ran up to Percy, her eyes raging. "What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?"

Percy's eyes darkened in anger. "I got the flag, Thalia! I saw a chance and I took it!"

"I was at their base! But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted in, we would've won!"

"You had too many on you!" he retorted.

"Oh, so that's my fault?" replied Thalia.

"I didn't say that!"

"Argh!" she screamed, and pushed him, an electric shock sending him ten feet into the stream.

I saw Tara and the other Hunters stifle a laugh behind their hands.

"Sorry!" said Thalia, going pale. "I didn't-t mean to-"

A whirlpool of water came from the stream, splashing her in the face.

"Yeah," said Percy huskily. "I didn't mean to either."

Thalia's face turned red with anger, even more then before, and her hands, tightly balled into fists, were shaking.

"Enough!" ordered Chiron.

Thalia held out her spear. "You want some, Seaweed Brain?"

Oh my gods, it was like a teenage soap opera, except with some godly powers and dangerous weapons thrown into the mix.

"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!" yelled Percy.

A zap of lightning went through Thalia's spear and shot out at Percy, hitting him in the chest.

Percy was thrown backwards, sitting down with a thump. His eyes rolled, and the smell of cooking flesh filled the forest. Gross.

"Thalia! That is enough!" shouted Chiron.

Percy stood up, his body rigid, and his eyes burning with hate. A massive tornado of water, hundreds of gallons at least, rose from the river.

Oh, gods. Not good. Not freaking good at all.

"Percy!" pleaded Chiron.

He raised his arms to throw the tornado of water at Thalia, then flinched in surprise, looking behind us. His massive attack died, water splashing back into the creek as campers turned to see what the heck was going on.

I was thinking something like, I dunno, a wounded person dragging their ravaged body towards us. Something along those lines.

What I did not expect was a mummy. In a tie-dyed dress. Her hair falling out. Walking towards us. I must have been going crazy. This was not normal. This was like, your dead grandmother coming back to life offering you chocolate chip cookies of death. I was reminded of the movie The Mummy.

Creepy green mist curled affectionately around her feet, and a strange hissing sound filled my head.

I flinched, and the thing spoke.

_I am the spirit of Delphi. Speaker of the prophecies of Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python._

The thing turned towards Zoë. _Approach, Seeker, and ask._

Zoë seemed to take the whole mummy pretty well considering the circumstances.

"What must I do to help my goddess?"

The mummy opened its mouth, green mist coming out and forming the shape of a mountain, Lady Artemis chained to it.

_Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,_

_One shall be lost in the land without rain._

_The bane of Olympus shows the trail,_

_Campers and Hunters combined prevail,_

_The Titan's curse one must withstand,_

_And one shall perish by a parent's hand._

Okay, scary prophecy of doom. Thanks a lot random mummy.

The thing dropped to the ground, as if not planning to move from beside the bank of the creek. I hoped we didn't have to carry her back anywhere.

**Once again, sorry about the wait. Annabeth's update will either be tomorrow night or Saturday, depending on my schedule. **

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	7. Quest for the Best

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**I don't have any internet connection right now, so no replies to reviews, sorry :(**

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**Quest for the Best**

The other campers made Percy and Grover take the mummy back, thank goodness. I didn't want to go anywhere near that thing. Apparently, it was the "Oracle" and was "sacred," but it was still a freaking dead person. Creepy.

While the mummy was being put in it's rightful place in the attic, Mr. D., the camp director, called a council meeting for the prophecy the mummy- no excuse me, _Oracle- _gave.

We sat around a ping-pong table, and from the gloomy atmosphere, I would have been much happier playing ping-pong with the Oracle then sitting here. Percy and Grover came down, wiping the dust from the mummy on their jeans, (One word, EW!) muttering about the Oracle. Mostly curses, I suspected.

Mr. D waved his hand, and Cheez Wiz, crackers, and wine appeared on the table. At first I was like, Whaaat? But then, after an imaginary face palm moment, I realized that he was Dionysus, the god of wine.

Chiron chided him about us being underage and all, and he grudgingly changed the wine to diet coke. I didn't really want to touch that. Who knows what kind of magic could have been accidently been mixed in there. Maybe I would turn into a squirrel… that'd actually be kinda cool. Wait, off subject again.

"This is pointless," started Zoë.

"Cheez Wiz!" cried Grover gleefully, and leaped for a bottle of the disgusting yet strangely delicious fake cheese. He made a ping-pong ball cracker sandwich with it. I've heard of odd eating disorders, but I didn't think people ate ping-pongs! Maybe it was because he was part goat. Didn't they eat, like, anything?

"There is no time for talk," said Zoë, after a glare at Grover for interrupting her. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" asked Chiron.

Jeez, I was a newbie, and even I knew this. "West!" I said. "You heard the prophecy. _Five shall go west to the goddess in chains. _We can get five Hunters and go."

"Yes," agreed Zoë, to my delight. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her!"

"You are missing something, as usual," said Thalia with a scowl. "_Campers and Hunters combined prevail. _We're supposed to do this together!"

"No! The Hunters do not need thy help!" Zoë retorted.

"Your," corrected Thalia. "Nobody has said thy in like, three hundred years, Zoë. Get with the times."

Zoë got a concentrated look on her face, as if tasting the words in her mouth. "Yerr. We do not need yerrr help."

"Forget it," said Thalia, obviously realizing that it was a lost cause.

"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," said Chiron, stopping a feud between the girls before it started. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."

"Or do they?" asked Mr. D. with a grin. "One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you cooperate?"

Lesson learned for the day: Dionysus is a real Debby Downer. Or a Negative Nancy. Either one.

"Mr. D," said Chiron. "With all due respect, whose side are you on?"

"Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."

_Well, you're not doing a very good job, _I thought to myself.

"We're supposed to work together," said Thalia. "I don't like it either, Zoë, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?"

Zoë, for once, stayed silent. Thalia: 1. Zoë: Zilch.

"We must not delay," warned Chiron. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."

"Oh, joy," muttered Dionysus to himself. "Another dull annual meeting."

Gosh, you'd think being a god would be fun. I guess wine obsessors are depressed.

"Artemis must be present at the solstice," said Zoë. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."

"Are you saying that gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" asked Mr. D with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, Lord Dionysus."

Was Zoë crazy? I half expected her to be zapped into a pile of ashes by Mr. D.

"Just checking. You're right of course. Carry on," said Dionysus.

Well, that was comforting. The most powerful beings on earth apparently squabbled like little kids.

"I must agree with Zoë," said Chiron. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."

"Three and two," said Percy, speaking for the first time.

Everyone looked at him.

"We're supposed to have five," Percy said. "Three Hunters, two from Camp Half-Blood. That's more then fair."

"Well, it does make sense," said Thalia. I didn't expect her to agree with Percy after the whole battle scene at the end of capture the flag.

"I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We need the strength of numbers," said Zoë.

"You'll be retracing the goddess's path," reminded Chiron. "Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: _The bane of Olympus shows the trail. _What would your mistress say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' A small group is best."

I wish Chiron didn't say anything about mistress. Now I was thinking about Artemis having a mistress, as in cheating on a husband that she doesn't have. Confusing and weird.

Zoë picked up a ping-pong paddle like she was thinking about who to hit someone with it. Note to self: Don't challenge Zoë to ping-pong.

"This monster, the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what it might be."

We all looked at Dionysus, the only god, hoping for some insight. "Well, don't look at me. I'm a young god, remember? I don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party conversations."

"Chiron," said Percy. "You don't have any ideas about the monster?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. None of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Your father, Poseidon, would already have sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."

"That's something dangerous you're facing," said a boy I didn't know. "It sounds like at least two of the five are going to die.

"One shall be lost in the land without rain," said an African-American looking kid, about seventeen. He had big, meaty hands covered in calluses. Probably a Hephaestus kid. "If I were you, I would stay out of desert."

The room muttered in agreement.

Another girl, with perfectly manicured nails and intricate but good-looking hairdo, obviously an Aphrodite girl said, "And the titan's curse one must withstand, what could that mean?"

I caught a nervous glance between Zoë and Chiron, but I didn't know what it was about. I was still new to the whole Greek gods exist thing.

"One shall perish by a parents hand," said Grover, eating his weird food mixture. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"

Long silence. I guessed they al thought of one, but none of the answers were good.

"There will be deaths," said Chiron finally. "That much we know."

"Oh, goody!" cried Dionysus.

We all looked at him strangely. Definitely not what I thought a god would be like.

Dionysus looked self-consciously from his magazine. "Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don't mind me."

"Percy is right," said the Aphrodite girl. "Two campers should go."

"Oh, I see," said Zoë sarcastically. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"

The girl flushed. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters. Don't look at me!"

I guess there would have to be some fighting between the two goddesses, one the patron of lobe, the other of maidenhood.

"A daughter of Aphrodite not wanting to be looked at. What would thy mother say?" asked Zoë with a sneer.

The girl was about to stand up in anger, but one of the campers put his hand on her shoulder.

"Stop it," said the Hephaestus kid. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?"

"I shall go, of course," said Zoë, standing up. "And I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."

"The girl who likes to hit people over the head?" asked one boy.

Zoë nodded. That was a new trait for Phoebe. And one I certainly did not want to figure out first hand.

"The one who put the arrows in my helmet?" asked another boy.

"Yes," said Zoë harshly. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," said the first boy. "Just that we have a t-shirt for her from the camp store. It's a collector's item. She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?" He held up a shirt that said, ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002.

Zoë took the t-shirt with a sigh and said, "As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. And I wish Bianca to go."

Now, me, I was making a smiley face with dimples from the Cheez Wiz on a cracker when she said that. "Me? But… I'm so new. I wouldn't be any good."

"You'll do fine," said Zoë. "There is no better way to prove thyself."

I closed my mouth, which was open in surprise. I was honored, but at the same time, kind of freaked out. Me? On a quest?

"And for campers?" asked Chiron.

"Me!" said Grover, standing up, Cheez Wiz stuck to his wisp of a beard. "Anything to help Artemis!"

Zoë wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood."

"But he is a camper," defended Thalia. "And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"

"Absolutely!"

"Very well," relented Zoë. "And the second camper?"

"I'll go," Thalia said as she stood up.

Percy had zoned off into his own little dreamland until he looked up. "Whoa, wait a sec. I want to go too."

Thalia didn't say anything. She was still probably mad at him.

"Oh," said Grover. "Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to go. I mean… I'll stay. Percy should go in my place."

"He cannot. He is a boy. I won't have Hunters travelling with a boy," Zoë told him.

"You travelled here with me," Percy pointed out.

"That was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. I will not go across country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy."

"What about Grover?" asked Percy.

"He does not count. He is not technically a boy."

"Hey!" protested Grover, and I stifled a giggle.

"I have to go. I need to be on this quest," said Percy stubbornly.

"Why?" demanded Zoë. "Because of thy friend Annabeth?"

Percy blushed. "No! I mean, partly. I just feel like I'm supposed to go!"

No one supported him. I felt kind bad for him, even though he was a boy.

"No. I insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male hero," said Zoë flatly.

"The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions," sighed Chiron.

Percy sat down, dejected.

"So be it. Thalia and Grover will accompany Zoë, Bianca and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods be with you."

That sounded so much like a Star Wars line, I glanced around the room looking for cameras.

Percy didn't show up for dinner that night, probably depressed that he couldn't go on the quest to find Artemis.

Phoebe put on her new shirt happily, her eyes shining before she went to bed. For some reason, I had a bad feeling about it. I cast off the sensation and closed my eyes.

I had to sleep well. Tomorrow I began my life as a Hunter, on my first quest. Oh, gods, someone save me.

**Sorry about not updating Sunday! I forgot the AMAZING RACE was on! Who do you want to win?**

**Review!**


	8. Blood of a Horse

**Hola, PJO fans! How's it hangin?**

**Have a school concert this Thursday, and busy Friday, so may not be too many updates :( Sorry.**

**I love how high you guys think of me. It's like, every review I read, you guys tell me how much you like my writing, so it means a lot.**

Don'tMurderTheWords **Thank you! I feel famous on this site. Kittycat32 is gunna go world-freaking wide! Hahah :P **

Dobby's Reincarnation **Haha, I love it when you quote my writing! :D Makes me happy!**

**Read, Review, and Favorite!**

**And, btw, this is going to be a really short chapter, since I'm following by chapters in the book. Probably going to be around…. Say… two or three pages I guess, but oh well!**

**Blood of a Horse**

"Ah! It burns!"

The yell woke me up from my slumber and I jumped up, hitting my head on the bunk above me. I really had to stop doing that. I was going to give myself a concussion.

"Phoebe, what is it?" called Tara.

"This shirt! It's burning me!" she screamed.

Zoë jumped up, somehow not hitting her head as I did, and brought out a knife. Sheesh, she slept with a knife? Paranoid much? And cut the shirt. Phoebe's skin was red and, (ugh) _bubbling_.

One word. Gross! I shivered. I would never get used to the immortal/demigod life. Too many strange things happened. I wouldn't be surprised if a dancing pink monkey doing the Macarena jumped into our cabin wearing a sombrero. Well, maybe a little surprised, but you get my point.

"Curse those boys!" muttered Zoë, examining the inside of the shirt. "Centaur blood! How dare they!"

"Um.. centaur blood?" I asked.

"Very acidic. It won't kill her, but it will hurt like Hades for at least a week. And that's a week too many. We'll have to leave her here," Zoë replied.

"Don't worry, Zoë," said Tara, with an evil smile. "I'll make sure that some of the Hunters and I have a little _talk _with those boys. In fact, I'll take some girls with me now. I bet we'll straighten some things up."

She motioned for Shelly, Ann and Karen to follow her as she strutted out of the cabin, her brown hair flying behind her.

The Hunters smiled as they watched the girls disappear toward some cabins.

"Bianca, with me, we need to talk," Zoë spoke as she threw the evil shirt in the trash.

A few seconds later, screams of terror filled air, and the girls around me chuckled.

"Gotta love Tara's torture tactics," murmured Cammie.

Oh, gods. Torture tactics? Note to self: Tara's bad side equals death. Or something quite close. Stay away from all potentially painful objects at all costs. I'd always thought of Tara as a non-violent person. Oh, well, we learn new things every day, don't we?

I trotted after Zoë as she strutted out of the cabin and toward the dining pavilion. She sat down with a sigh at the head of the Artemis table, her hands on the sides of her head.

"How bad is centaur blood, exactly?" I asked.

"Very bad. It reacts to organic tissue, turning it into one giant… how could I explain it… Ah, sunburn. It is not lethal, only very painful."

"Can it be cured?" I asked.

"It cannot be cured," she replied. "Not quickly, at any rate."

"But how did it happen?" I asked. I wondered where the boys got the centaur blood.

"A foolish prank," Zoë said with a grimace. "Those Stoll boys from the Hermes cabin. As I said, centaur blood is very acidic. Everyone knows that. They sprayed the inside of that Artemis Hunting Tour t-shirt with it."

"That's terrible!" I agreed.

"She will live," said Zoë. "But she will be bedridden with hives for weeks. There is no way she can go… it's up to me, and thee."

"But the prophecy, if Phoebe can't go, we only have four. We'll need to pick another."

"There is no time," argued Zoë. "We must leave at first light. That's immediately. Besides, the prophecy said we would lose one."

"In the land without rain," I repeated. "But that can't be here."

"It might be," Zoë replied, but she sounded unconvinced. "The camp has magical borders. Nothing, not even weather is allowed in without permission. I could be a land without rain."

"But-"

"Bianca, hear me. "I… I can't explain, but I have a sense that we should not pick someone else. It would be too dangerous. They would meet an end worse then Phoebe's. I don't want Chiron choosing a camper as our fifth companion. And… I don't want to risk another Hunter."

"You should tell Thalia the rest of your dream," I said after a moment of silence.

Zoë had woken up earlier in the night after a dream about someone called the General. I didn't know who he or she was, but it sure didn't sound pretty.

"No. It would not help," she replied.

"But if your suspicions are correct, about the General-"

"I have thy word not to talk about that," Zoë snapped, her voice anguished. "We will find out soon enough. Now come. Dawn is breaking."

We raced off the pavilion. Zoë stopped, but I grabbed her arm, pointing to the Big House. "The lights of the big house are on! Hurry!"

We raced toward it, opening the door. Thalia and Grover stood, backpacks slung around their shoulders.

"Be careful," Chiron said as we walked toward the van that was idling beside the road.

Zoë nodded in acknowledgement. "Ready?" she addressed us.

"Yep," we replied, and she got into the driver's seat.

"Um, Zoë, you are driving?" I asked. I was pretty sure she didn't look more then twelve, so there would be some awkward moments if we were pulled over.

"Yes. I have been driving since cars were invented. Now get in."

This was going to be an interesting drive. I should probably duct tape myself to the seat. Oh, gods, this was not good.

**Watcha guys think? Yeah, I know, very short, but what can I say? I go by the books chapters! Oh, well.**

**Review!**


	9. Car Trips are Boring

**Hiya, PJO Fanfictioners! How's it goin?**

**Just a quick heads up, I got a week-long camp in June, which is far away from now, but just warning you that there will be no updates from June 19th to June 25th or 26th. Somewhere around a week long time span.**

Chick With Brains **Haha, oh yes! World freakin wide!**

redlox2 **Haha, torture is my specialty :P lol just kidding. I'm a peaceful kind of girl :)**

**Just to let you know, this is going to be a pretty short chapter, as in like, two pages, cuz most of it revolves around Percy finding the General…. Another chapter will be in Tuesday or Wednesday though, fighting the Nemean Lion…**

**Read, Review, and Favorite!**

**Car Trips Are Boring**

This is pretty much what happened for the whole time of the car trip:

Zoë driving.

Thalia yelling at her for being in the wrong lane.

Grover passing out of fright.

Zoë yelling back at Thalia for being a back-seat driver

Me, well, I was pale faced trying not to throw up on everybody.

Finally, after, oh, I don't know, _five hours of this, _we actually stopped by a convenience store to get some food. Grover had been moaning and groaning for Cheez Wiz covered fruit cocktail cans since we passed the Maryland border.

We got Grover his food, which he immediately started scarfing down like an emaciated person stranded on a desert island for, like, a year. I was still queasy from the whole trip down here, so I decided to get a nice hot chocolate to calm the nerves.

After Grover had finished his… um… strange concoction of food, he took out some acorns. Maybe his little squirrel buddies could save the day! Not.

After mumbling something incomprehensible, he threw the nuts down, where they rolled to random places.

"We need to go to Washington D.C!" exclaimed Grover, looking at the acorns closely. "That's where Artemis was going!"

He stood up to walk out of the store.

"Grover, are you sure?" asked Thalia.

"Well… pretty sure. Ninety-nine percent. Okay, eighty-five percent."

"And you did this with acorns?" I asked, disbelieving. I mean, yeah, there's some crazy things in a godly world, but tracking acorns? I mean, seriously, what do you expect me to think?

Bow down to the acorns. Boowww Dowwwnnn.

"It's a time-honored tracking spell. I mean, I'm pretty sire I did it right," said Grover, defending himself.

"D.C. is about sixty miles from here," I told him. "Nico and I…" Wait, hold up. Didn't Nico and I live here once? How could I have forgotten? "We used to live there. That's… strange. I'd forgotten."

"I dislike this," Zoë warned. The prophecy said west."

"Oh, like your tracking skills are better?" Thalia snapped.

Zoë took a threatening step towards her. "You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know nothing of being a Hunter!"

Okay, I had no idea what a scullion was, but I guessed it was bad. At first I thought she meant scallion, but calling Thalia an onion wasn't really the best insult you could give to someone.

"Oh, scullion? You're calling me a scullion? That the heck is a scullion?"

"Whoa, you two. Come on, not again!" pleaded Grover.

I did not want another five hour argument, thank you very much, so I interceded. "Grover's right. D.C. is our best bet."

I could tell Zoë didn't want to disagree with me, since I was a fellow Hunter and all, so she nodded. "Very well. Let us keep moving."

"You're going to get us arrested, driving," muttered Thalia. "I look closer to sixteen then you do."

Oh, gods, not this again.

"Perhaps," snapped Zoë, "But I have been driving since automobiles were invented. Let us go."

I wasn't so sure about when cars had been invented, but I knew for one thing that it was a long time ago, when humans were short and like when America was still fighting Britain or something.

And besides, after the whole Thalia driving the sun mobile for Apollo thing, I didn't want her anywhere near that steering wheel.

And so, the car trip began again.

"Zoë, get in the freaking right lane already!"

"Food!"

"Foolish girl, I'm driving!"

"Burp…"

"Aw, Grover!"

"What? Cheez Wiz can do that to a person!"

Finally, _finally, _Grover told us to stop at the Smithsonian. I was practically hugging the ground as I stumbled out of the white van.

Our little mismatched group of people began trudging through the gross sludge to the museum of the country.

We reached the door, and Thalia did a quick scan looking for monsters. Apparently, monsters found great entertainment in hiding in exhibits and scaring the bejeezus out of innocent fourth graders on a class trip.

"Clear!" she called, just like a soldier checking a building.

The whole time, we pretty much just followed Grover around, who was sniffing the floor like a bloodhound. Except imagine instead of a dog, a gangly teenager looking like he was trying to do the worm. And failing. Not the best sight in the world, let me tell you.

And that's when Thalia was suddenly tackled by an invisible person,

My life is so weird.

**Yah, it's a short one I know, I know.**

**Review!**


	10. Thalia Does Some Circus Training

**sup, PJO peoples!**

**Sooo sorry about not updating. Got carried away with my Annabeth Fanfic (U should totally check it out btw. Annabeth's pov through the series, if you haven't looked at it.)**

**Today, I started choking on my sandwich, as in really choking, and I was totally expecting my friends to be like, oh, are you okay? But nope, they just kept eating. Nice to know my friends care, hahah =P I'm fine and dandy now, though. **

**Sooo hot where I live, and had a HUGE storm over the weekend. Lightning struck our water pump equaling no showers for a day or two. }=-( Got fixed, though, thank the gods. Also got HAIL and TORNADO WARNINGS. I live in the middle of nowhere where the worst natural disaster is a snowstorm, so it came as quite a shock. **

**Writing this right now on a sugar rush, so expect insanity!**

MysticaTempest **Haha, glad to be of service for your entertainment =)**

Dobby's Reincarnation **Haha yeah! Struts down red carpet. I'm going to be famous! =D**

I'mDifferent-GetOverIt **Ohhh, writing camp O_O totally awesome =)**

Son of the Sea 100896 **I literally started ROLF when I imagined Grover trying to point and flex his hooves in like, a ballet class or something. Hahahahaha!**

Chick With Brains **Thanks, but the last quote wasn't mine, sadly, so can't take credit.**

**This will be another short chapter, unfortunately, cuz I go by Rick Riordan's chapters. **

**Thalia Does Some Circus Training**

I notched my bow as Thalia fell, my awesome Hunter magic enabling me to pull it out of thin air, and aimed it to where a hat fell off a boy.

Percy? What the freaking heck? Where had he come from? More importantly, how did he go invisible? I wanted to go invisible!

Luckily, before Zoë shot, she recognized him. "You! How dare you show thy face here!" she shouted angrily.

"Percy! Thank goodness!" said Grover.

Zoë shot him a glare, and a sheepish Grover hurried to correct himself.

"I mean, um, gosh. You're not supposed to be here."

"Luke," breathed Percy. "He's here."

Who was Luke? Like Luke Skywalker? Well, I was in the Air and Space Museum. Something told me I was a bit off.

Thalia's glare at Percy for tackling her turned into nervousness. Whoever Luke was, he sure must not be a good guy.

"Where?" asked Thalia, glancing around.

Percy explained that he had snuck into the Natural History Museum and found Dr. Thorn (Shiver) the General, (Double shiver) and Luke. What were they doing here?

"The General is here?" said Zoë incredulously. "That is impossible! You lie!"

"Why would I lie? Look there's no time, Skeleton warriors-"

"What?" interrupted Thalia. "How many?"

Percy said that they had somehow raised the dead, like Frankenstein. "IT"S ALIVE!"

"Twelve," Percy answered Thalia. And that's not all. That guy, the General, he was sending something, a 'playmate', to distract you over here. A monster."

I saw Grover and Thalia look at each other.

"We were following Artemis's trail," said Grover. "I was pretty sure it led here."

So much for the all-powerful acorns.

"-Some powerful monster scent… she must've stopped here looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't found anything yet," finished Grover.

"Zoë," I warned nervously. "If it is the General-"

"It cannot be!" she snapped back. I could understand her fear. "Percy must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."

"Illusions don't crack marble floors," Percy said.

Zoë took a deep calming breath, probably imagining all the ways she could possibly torture Percy. Even from my little life as a Hunter, I knew it was a well-known pastime. Apparently Artemis encouraged it.

"If Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors, we have no time to argue. They are the worst, most horrible… we must leave now," said Zoë.

"Good idea," agreed Percy.

What was the deal? They were just skeletons, right? I was sure I could find a dog somewhere ready to chomp on some bones. Here boy!

"I was not including thee, boy. You are not a part of this quest," retorted Zoë firmly.

Oh, let the kid come! He had been following us for what, two days?

"Hey, I'm trying to save your lives!"

"You shouldn't have come, Percy," agreed Thalia. "But you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."

"That is not thy decision!" said Zoë angrily.

"You're not the boss here, Zoë. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!"

Holy Hades, if this went on any longer they were going to have a full-blown bi- I mean, female dog fight in seconds. Hey, don't judge, you learn a lot of language at a military academy.

"You never had any wisdom when it came to boys," spat Zoë. "You could never leave them behind!"

Thalia looked like she was going to slap Zoë upside the face. With her electric powers. On high. As hard as she could. Good thing Zoë was immortal.

Then something growled behind me. Even from only about a week of being a Hunter, I knew anything that growled probably wanted to eat and/or disassemble my limbs.

A giant… lion? Was bounding up the steps of the gift shop. Straight toward us. I don't know whether this was really strange or really cool. Either way, I was pretty sure it was salivating over eating my dead body.

"The Nemean Lion," breathed Thalia. "Don't move."

Not planning on it, Thalia. Not planning on it.

Separate on my mark," whispered Zoë. "Try to keep it distracted."

"Until when?" asked Grover nervously. From my experience, he wasn't the best at distracting. More at being almost eaten.

""Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!"

Uh, oh. If Zoë didn't have a plan, it was going to be hard to kill the beast.

I grabbed my bow from thin air again, Zoë mimicking my movements with ease form centuries of practice. We fired, arrows, after another, but each arrow bounced harmlessly off the coat of the lion, even at the weak spots, such as the heart and throat.

Percy and Thalia rolled away, Thalia taking her spear and terrifying shield, Percy with his bronze sword.

Zoë and I jumped onto one of space capsules hanging from the ceiling to get a better range, and began shooting once more. Good thing I had unlimited arrows, thanks to my magically enhanced sheath.

The Nemean Lion saw us, and swiped at it, tipping us off the edge. I slammed to the ground. _Ouch, _I thought. _Who knew you'd find a lion at a museum. At least, a live, size of a Toyota truck lion with indestructible fur and a serious attitude. _

Grover began singing a frantic tune on his reed pipe, which sounded suspiciously like the annoying Barbie Girl theme song. "I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie worrrld!" Gods, it must be the worst song ever invented.

The lion didn't seem to like it very much, either. He let out a strangled sound, and leaped toward Grover, but Thalia jumped in between the monster and a cowering satyr, her shield pushing the animal back. The Medusa face on it literally sent shivers down my spine.

For a second, I thought Thalia had the beast cornered, until I saw his muscles tensing. He was about to leap.

"Hey!" yelled Percy, and charged at the lion. Was he crazy? The monster would turn him to wet cat food, monster style in seconds!

His sword clanged against the pelt of the lion, but didn't leave a scratch. Now me, I would not mind being invincible like that.

The lion pounced again, nearly bowling Percy over.

"Zoë!" he shouted suddenly. "Target the mouth!"

We quickly climbed another hanging spacecraft. My bow moved in sync with the lion's movements, but the opening at the mouth was too small a target, eve for a Hunter.

"No clear shot!" Zoë yelled back. "Get it to open it's mouth more!"

Percy looked around, glancing over all the things in the building.

"Thalia!" he yelled. "Keep it occupied!"

Thalia nodded, and spat a bolt of electricity out of her spear, hitting the lion in the tail.

"Hi-ya! Back!" yelled Thalia. It was like the circus, except it was like hitting a lion with a twig. Not very effective.

"Roooaaarr!" yowled the lion, and it turned on a dime, leaping for Thalia's throat. She was just able to get away.

Percy ran into the gift shop. Now this was ADHD at its worse.

Gah! I'm fighting for my life!

Oh, look, a gift shop! Oh, and there's a remote control car in it!

"This is no time for souvenirs, boy!" yelled Zoë angrily.

Percy grabbed a bag of something or other from one of the shelves. I turned my attention back to the Nemean lion and shot a few more arrows, but it was no use. It was moving too much.

The lion began pressing Thalia back, sliding forward with a swing of its claws. Thalia had no choice but to back up.

"Percy," yelled Thalia, breathing hard. "Whatever you're going to do-"

The lion took advantage of her distracted and flicked out a paw, flinging her into a giant space shuttle, where she slithered to the floor.

"Hey!" yelled Percy desperately, and threw the sword that bounced off the Nemean Lion's back.

Idiot! Now he had no defense!

The lion turned, snarling, and Percy charged. He chucked a package from the gift shop into the lion's mouth before rolling away.

Ew, it was space food! That stuff was disgusting! It was like someone barfed into a bag, dehydrated it, then sold it for money. Totally gross.

The lion gagged, sounding like a cat with a major hairball, except a hairball from a thing that big would be the size of a small cat. I'd to be the one who'd have to clean _that _up.

"Zoë, get ready!" yelled Percy.

Grover started to play another horrible very girly song on his reed pipes. I think it was Kiss Me Red, by someone I didn't care to remember.

The lion swallowed the horrible snack, and glared a Percy with a vengeance.

"Snack time!" yelled Percy, and chucked a few more space food packets into the beast's mouth.

I lifted my bow preparing for the signal.

"Now!" yelled Percy, and Zoë and I fired, six arrows hitting the lion in the mouth. It fell backward, and was still.

I felt a little queasy. My first kill. Not exactly what I expected it to be.

The sound of alarms reached my ears, and I looked around to see a bunch of security guards running around in circles and curled up in the fetal positions. Pussies.

We jumped from our little space ship, joining Percy while Grover helped a groaning Thalia up.

"That was… an interesting strategy," Zoë told Percy, with a cautious face.

"Hey, it worked," shrugged Percy.

The Nemean lion seemed to be melting in front of us, until it was as small as a normal lion.

"Take it," said Zoë to Percy.

"The lion's fur? Isn't that, like, and animal rights violation or something?" asked Percy, and I stifled a giggle.

"It is a spoil of war. It is rightly thine," explained Zoë.

"You killed it," protested Percy.

Zoë shook her head. "I think thy ice cream sandwich did that. Fair is fair, Percy Jackson. Take the fur."

I think that was the nicest thing Zoë's ever said to a guy. I should have gotten it on camera. It was a big moment.

Percy lifted it up, examining it as a girl would inspect a dress.

"Not exactly my style," he muttered.

"We have to get out of here," said Grover. "The security guards won't stay confused for long."

"You did that?" asked Percy noticing the crazy guards.

He nodded. "A minor confusion song. I played some Barry Manilow. It works every time. But it'll only last a few seconds."

"The security guards are not our biggest worry," Zoë said. "Look."

We saw through the window a group of people walking across the lawn. Straight toward us. Would this day never end?

"Go," Percy said quietly. "They'll be hunting me. I'll distract them."

"No," protested Zoë. "We go together."

I stand corrected. That must have been the nicest thing Zoë had ever said to a boy.

Percy looked at Zoë weirdly. He sensed the change, too.

"But you said-"

"You are a part of this quest now," murmured Zoë. "I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You are the fifth quest member. And we are not leaving anyone behind."

Great. Now there was another person in our car trip of torture. I braced myself for another few hours of insanity. Someone kill me now.

**Whatcha think? A little short, but not much.**

**Annabeth should be on weekend, either sat or Sun, depending on my schedule, along with another Bianca chapter.**

**And guess what? You pick my new fanfic after Bianca! I have a poll on my prof page. I'm going to do a couple story. Choose who you want me to write about! (I kinda wanna do a Silena/Beckendorf fanfic.) What do you think?**

**Tata for now!**

**Review!**


	11. A Hobo Gives Us a Car

**Hey, guys, I'm back, for whoever doesn't read my Annabeth Series, and if you did, well, hi again!**

**Haven't updated this is forever, and someone, cough cough, Deviant1 UK, cough cough has told me to hurry up and get this chapter in. But I don't mind, really, it gets me to do something other then procrastinate about whether I should do it or be lazy for another day =P Summer vacation, you gotta love it =)**

**Camp was awesome, along with a sad graduation, as I said in the Annabeth series, but some don't read it. (but you should!)**

Deviant1 UK **Ahh, you are making me hungry! Send me some pizza lol =P And patience, my friend, for good things come in time, or however you say that hehe. **

Dobby's Reincarnation **Haha, once I get a book published, I'll tell you guys my real name so that you can check out my book =) But for now, my Fanfic name is good enough. But, when my soon to be published book is, I'll be sure to add all of you fanfiction people who helped me along the way =) Pretty much all my reviewers.**

Phantom Listener 101 **I actually don't treat guys this, way, but since Hunters don't like guys at all, I have to give Bianca a… dislike to them. I didn't mean to offend you if I did. =) So sorry about that. **

Me **Hold your horses, hold your horses, here's another one =)**

xXxKatnissxXx **Thanks =) Haha, no misunderstanding anymore, I just hope I didn't make anything awkward between us and your friend =) **

MysticaTempest **I hope that was a good thing! I try to keep it the same, but I might skip a few things by accident. Haha, and no prob about the AN. If someone reviews something worthwhile, they get an answer on the next chapter. **

Chick With Brains **Haha, I think he got into an argument with someone up there in Olympus. Didn't have to take it out on my little town though! **

Redlox2 **You'll just have to find out =) Actually, so will I, I haven't decided.**

Son of The Sea 100896 **Haha, gift shops are very enticing sometimes, though whether the museum one was interesting, I don't know. Haha, now you have the follow the yellow brick road song stuck in my head =)**

**This will be another short chapter. Curse you Rick Riordan! Make Bianca's last chapters longer!**

**Read, Review, and Favorite!**

**A Hobo Gives Us a Car**

For the first time in what seemed forever, we weren't been chased. I let out a sigh of relief as we crossed the Potomac River. Then I heard the _fap-fap-fap _of a helicopter. I let out a puff of air from my mouth in annoyance. I probably just jinxed it. Dang it.

Sure enough, a military-looking helicopter was tailing us. Well that was just freaking dandy. Couldn't we have just a tiny break from constant harassment?

"They know the van," Percy said. "We have to ditch it."

Zoë swerved into the fast lane, going much faster then she should have been, with me clutching the seat, my face drained and white. I really needed to learn how to drive. I didn't trust Zoë at the wheel, no matter how long she had been driving.

I looked back to see the helicopter gaining us. Crap.

Thalia closed her eyes, praying out loud. "Hey, Dad. A lightning bolt would be nice about now. Please?"

It wasn't exactly the first thing I would have thought to say to a god that was my father, but hey, I was going to take anything at this point. Unfortunately, though, Zeus didn't seem in the mood to help us. No lightning. Dang it.

Then I spotted something familiar. Was it the same? It looked older, much older, but it still had the same features.

"There!" I called. "That parking lot!"

"We'll be trapped," Zoë snapped.

"Trust me," I replied, and Zoë shot across two lanes of traffic into the parking lot. It wasn't as bad as the last stunt she pulled with the car, but I think we got enough middle fingers from the other drivers to last us a lifetime.

We climbed out of the van, and I raced to where I knew some stairs were, taking two at a time down.

"Subway entrance," I said as we descended. "Let's go south. Alexandria."

I didn't know how I knew where the heck we were going, but at the moment, I didn't really care. I just wanted to get away from the helicopter.

We bought tickets and were soon on a train away from D.C., looking over our shoulders, checking to see if we were being followed.

As we the subway disappeared behind us, the helicopter circling the place, we let out a sigh of relief.

"Nice job, Bianca, think of the subway," said Grover as he sunk deeper into the seat.

The helicopter got louder again.

Oh, come on! Give me a freaking break!

"We need to change trains. Next station," said Percy with a bleak look.

For the next thirty minutes, our little mismatched group changed trains two times. My sense of direction was completely turned around, I had absolutely no idea where we were going, but at least we had lost the helicopter.

But our luck just didn't seem to last. When we got off the train, we found ourselves in an area of warehouses and railroad tracks. Not to mention the freezing cold and practically a foot of snow.

A homeless man stood by one of those trash can fires that you always see hobos standing around in the movies. Come to think of it, those must really stink. The man turned to us with a creepy grin. "Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!"

"You know," said the guy. "You're never completely without friends. You kids need a train going west?"

"Yes, sir," answered Percy. "You know of any?"

The guy pointed a gross finger to where I now saw a freight train, which I had sworn had not been there before, gleaming and suspiciously snow free. Weird…

It was a car carrying train, with metal mesh curtains and three decks of cars inside. It said SUN WEST LINE on the side.

"That's… convenient," said Thalia uncertainly. "Thanks, uh…"

But the guy was gone. Now that was creepy. I was never going to get used to this mythological life.

Against my instincts, we got on the train, and were steadily on our way west again.

Without needing anyone to drive, all of us had the luxury to crash in the car of our choice. Zoë and I picked a Lexus, where I promptly passed out on those very comfy and warm seats. Now this was a long day. I wanted sleep to take everything away, just for a little bit.

Sadly, this was not the case. As soon as consciousness left me, I was spirited away to some dreamland.

_The mist was thick, and my eyes squinted in the white to make out some sort of shape. Darkness seemed to curl around me, fluttering at the tips of my fingers, caressing my arms, but I didn't feel scared. _

_I've never been afraid of the dark for some reason. There was just something about the quiet blackness that pulled me toward it, like it would whisper secrets to me. It was compelling, but in a good way._

_A voice resonated from the darkness, booming and echoing around me._

"_Bianca… Beware of the metal, fore a guardian protects it. Make your choice not be the end of your life…"_

_And the presence I felt disappeared, the mist dissipating, and once more I was lost to unconsciousness, sleep driving everything away…_

**Was that dream good? It wasn't one of my best works, definitely, but I had to find a way to make this chapter a little longer. Oh, well, anyways,**

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	12. New Sport: Pig Riding

**Hiya, Fanfictioners!**

**I know, I know, no update in like, 2 weeks. I totally forgot I was going on vacation last week! So very sorry about that.**

**In other news, I have a Facebook page! Kittycat32 on to be exact. I have the link on my fanfiction profile page if you wanna check it out. The reason I made it is so I can tell you guys when I'm updating, or can't update, yadda yadda yadda, along with randomly posting some random stuff when I find something awesome =)**

**So, yeah, sorry about not updating, and I'm pretty sure I can do the last chapter before I go to my friends house for the weekend, so that will be the end of this story =( Bianca's death, **cries** **

I'mDifferent-GetOverIt **Haha, you scared me for a second, there =P**

Deviant1 UK **What? That's what a helicopter sounds like, thank you very much =P Very true, I suppose =P And um, no, I haven't hahaha! Virtual pizza =P sounds delicious! Heheh.**

Son of The Sea 100896 **Yeah, I felt the dream needed to be in there. So she had some kind of warning at least. Hmm, maybe the train was one of those automatic ones?**

Dobby's Reincarnation **Hahah, yeah, that's the bad thing about doing a different side. No cliffies =P**

**New Sport: Pig Riding**

We arrived at a little hillbilly town called Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The place was freezing, even in my Hunters jacket, specially insulated for cold places.

We reached Main Street after about a mile of walking, and to our despair, there was only a school, some tourists spots, a ski cabin or two, and a grocery store. No buses. No taxis. Not even a car rental place. It looked like we were staying in New Mexico for a while.

"Great," said Thalia, echoing my thoughts. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."

Why was it that I seemed to be reading peoples minds now? It's just strange.

"There's a coffee shop," said Grover excitedly.

"Yes, coffee is good," agreed Zoë.

"And pastries," said Grover happily. "And wax paper."

Thalia let out a sigh. "Fine. How about you two go get us some food. Percy, Bianca, and I will check the grocery store. Maybe they could give us directions.

Five minutes later, we were talking to the clerk.

"You could call a taxi from Alamogordo. That's down at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars," said the clerk.

"Wonderful," said Thalia grumpily. "I'm going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion."

"But the clerk said-" started Percy.

"I know," Thalia said tiredly. "I'm checking anyway."

Percy watched her go with pursed lips.

And then I realized it was just Percy and I. Well, this was awkward. We hadn't really spoken to each other much since that night at the cliffs, despite being on a quest together. I didn't really have anything against him, even with my being a Hunter in all. He seemed like a pretty decent guy.

"So… how d you like being a Hunter so far?" he asked finally when the silence lengthened.

I bit my lip in thought. I hadn't really thought about it that much. My life had been so busy lately, there wasn't a lot of time to think these things over.

"You're not still mad at me for joining, are you?" I asked finally, not sure what my answer would be.

"Nah," he waved off my question. "Long as, you know… you're happy."

"I'm not sure 'happy' is the right word, with Lady Artemis gone. But being a Hunter is definitely cool. I feel calmer somehow. Everything seems to have slowed down around me. I guess that's the immortality," I responded. I hadn't really thought about being twelve forever. I mean, there was some advantages, never getting old and all that cool stuff, but I can also see sadness, my brother getting old, dying, being killed, my new friends from Camp Half-Blood getting hurt, moving on with life, maturing, getting married, if they lived that long… I don't want to think about my future too much. It could hurt too much.

Percy studied me, clearly looking for the differences between before I was a Hunter and after. I'd lost my green cap in Artemis's camp, and Zoë usually tied my hair back for me, since I was still working on how they did that special trademark braid of theirs.

"Nico didn't understand my decision," I said finally, showing my sadness only in my eyes.

"He'll be alright," said Percy, his face softening in sympathy. "Camp Half-Blood takes in a lot of young kids. They did that for Annabeth."

I nodded. "I hope we find her. Annabeth, I mean. She's lucky to have a friend like you." Or maybe more then friend, I wasn't quite sure with that whole situation.

"Lot of good it did her," Percy said sadly.

"Don't blame yourself, Percy. You risked your life to save my brother and me. I mean, that was seriously brave. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have felt okay about leaving Nico at the camp. I figured there were people like you there, Nico would be fine. You're a good guy," I comforted him.

Percy looked at me, surprised at the large compliment. "Even though I knocked you out during capture the flag?"

That got a laugh out of me. "Okay. Except for that, you're a good guy."

Grover and Zoë stumbled out of the coffee shop loaded with food and drinks, looking like there was a lot more food then necessary.

I felt a little sadness, and realized that it was fun to talk to Percy. I had a feeling that he and I could have been great friends if I wasn't a Hunter.

"So what's the story with you and Nico?" asked Percy as Zoë and Grover made their way towards us. "Where did you go to school before Westover?"

I frowned. Why was my memory so fuzzy? "I think it was a boarding school in D.C. it seems like so long ago."

"You never lived with your parents? I mean, your mortal parent?" he asked.

"We were told our parents were dead. There was a bank trust for us. A lot of money, I think. A lawyer would come by once in a while to check on us. Then Nico and I had to leave that school."

"Why?"

Why was this so hard to remember? "We had to go somewhere. I remember it was important. We traveled a long way. And we stayed in this hotel for a few weeks. And then… I don't know. One day different lawyer came to get us out. He said it was time for us to leave. He drove us back east, through D.C. then up into Maine. And we started going to Westover."

"So you've been raising Nico pretty much all your life? Just the two of you?" asked Percy incredulously.

I nodded my head. "That's why I wanted to join the Hunters so bad. I mean, I know it's selfish, but I wanted my own life and friends. I love Nico, don't get me wrong, but I just needed to find out what it would be like not to be a big sister twenty-four hours a day."

Zoë and Grover reached us, Thalia soon after, with no success for our ride. Zoë got straight to business with continuing the quest, even if we had no car or taxi.

"We should do the tracking spell," she said. "Grover, do you have any acorns left?"

"Um," mumbled Grover, eating a bran muffin, wrapper and all. "I think so. I just need to-"

He froze, his eyes wide.

A warm breeze washed over us, smelling of summer and flowers, even though it was the middle of winter and we were currently freezing our butts off. A… not voice, exactly, but a sound seemed to emanate from the breeze. A warning of sorts.

"Grover," gasped Zoë. "Thy cup!"

Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with doves. Before the cup hit the ground, the birds, (I'm not messing with you here,) flew off the cup and sped away into the distance.

I practically felt my mouth fall to the ground, I was so surprised. That… that was not possible. That was like, Chucky from that horror movie leap from the screen and murder you.

I would never get used to this Ancient Greek stuff.

Grover collapsed, and we quickly gathered around him to try and wake him up. He groaned, but didn't seem to have the strength to gain consciousness.

We ended up dragging him, and let me tell you, he is much heavier then he looks. I always wondered where all those enchiladas went back at Westover Hall. He just seemed to down them. Fur must hide the flab.

We were at the edge of town when the first two skeletons appeared. I knew something bad had to happen sooner or later. But where the heck had they come from? They just had a habit of coming along at the worst moments.

They now wore a Mexico State Police uniform, but they still had see-through skin and creepy yellow eyes. They drew guns, and I blanched. I mean, I knew guns were weapons, but all the Ancient Greek people were so old fashioned, with swords and spears. I never expected a gun.

Thalia tapped her bracelet, and it turned into a shield, while Percy drew his sword. Zoë and I drew our bows, but I was having issues because Grover kept leaning against me, moaning about Pam. I don't know what he was thinking, talking about that spray stuff, but it certainly wasn't helpful.

"It's near," he said louder.

"It's here," said Percy.

"No," argued Grover. "The gift. The gift from the Wild."

I had no idea what the heck he was talking about, but my eyes were locked onto the skeletons.

Another warm breeze blew past us, and I was distracted by it when Percy charged.

Was he an idiot? They had guns, for Pete's sake.

Things seemed to go in slow motion, and I heard the boom from the gun shooting. Another clang told me that Percy had somehow deflected it. Now that's what I call lightning skills.

His sword swung, blurry with the speed of the strike, and the skeleton was severed, bones clattering to the ground. One word. Gross.

The other skeleton tried to shoot him, but Percy knocked the gun, as well as his hand, away.

I thought he had it handled until two other gunshots were heard, and I saw Percy pitching forward.

I let out a little cry of surprise, and felt Zoë freeze beside me. Thalia let out a whimper, but held steady with her shield.

To my surprise, Percy stood up, unhurt. He was just shot in the back, for crying out loud! Was this a plus to being the son of Poseidon? Bullet immunity? If so, then I totally wanted to be a daughter of him.

Zoë and I let our arrows fly simultaneously, but they just went through the empty heads.

One lunged at me, and out of pure reaction, I unsheathed my bow and stabbed it in the heart. To my surprise, the thing burst into flames like someone had just used a flamethrower against it.

"How did you do that?" demanded Zoë.

"I don't know," I answered, confused. "Lucky stab?"

"Well, do it again!"

I tried to get close enough for another attack, but the skeletons were watching me carefully now. I don't think they wanted to go up in flames like their friend.

"Plan?" asked Percy, as we were pushed back by the number of bone freaks.

Nobody answered. Well, that was comforting. Behind the skeletons, the trees seemed to be shaking, and the branches snapping.

"A gift," Grover muttered, teetering on his hooves.

Suddenly, or rather, randomly, a pig the size of a small car came snorting out of the forest and onto the road. It was a wild boar, with huge, dangerous tusks, and covered in coarse brown hair. Its eyes were angry and wild. What, did have like, rabies or something?

"REEEEEEEET!" it squealed, and shattered the skeletons with one swing of its tusks, sending them flying over the trees to who-knows-where.

For a second, I was grateful. Until it turned on us. Crap.

Thalia raised her spear for an attack, but Grover yelled, "Don't kill it!"

"That's the Erymanthian Boar," said Zoë, trying and failing to keep a calm voice. "I don't think we can kill it."

"It's a gift," insisted Grover. "A blessing from the Wild!"

The boar squealed again, swinging its head. I had to dive out of the way in order not to become a Bianca-kabob.

"Yeah, I feel blessed!" said Percy sarcastically. "Scatter!"

We all fled in different directions, and for a moment, the boar was confuzzled.

"It wants to kill us!" screamed Thalia.

"Of course," said Grover. "It's wild!"

"So how is that a blessing?" I yelled at him.

Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, because the boar charged at me, and I barely was able to roll out of the way. It smashed into the WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT sign, smashing it to pieces.

"Keep moving!" yelled Zoë, and I sprinted away. Grover began dancing around the boar, playing his pipes, like he was doing some kind of ancient Indian dance around a fire, while Thalia lifted her shield in defense.

The sight of Medusa on the shield sent the boar into a total rage, and charged them.

They barely stayed ahead as the thing chased them up the hill, being slowed by the trees in its way, while Thalia and Percy could dodge in and out.

We chased after them, and became confused when the tracks disappeared.

"Where the heck did they go?" I asked, looking around.

"Helllooooo?" called Grover, and we heard a voice coming from the edge of gulley.

"Down here!" called Percy.

Grover, Zoë and I climbed down and surveyed the pig stuck in the snow and cold looking Thalia and Percy, who looked like they had just lost a fight with a snowman.

"A blessing from the Wild," said Grover again.

"I agree," said Zoë. "We must use it."

"Hold up," said Thalia. "Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing."

"Grover looked to her, his eyes slightly distracted. "It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?"

Wait, we were going to ride a pig? Not exactly on my list of things I want to do in life…

Grover walked over and jumped onto the boar's back, playing a song on his reed pipes. He then threw an apple where it floated in front of the pig.

"Automatic steering," said Thalia quietly. "Great."

She walked over and jumped on behind Grover. Well, don't knock it till you try it, I suppose.

Zoë and I walked toward the boar, but Percy stopped us.

"Wait a second. Do you two know what Grover is talking about, this Wild blessing?" he asked.

I didn't, but Zoë certainly did. "Of course. Did you not feel it in the wind? It was so strong… I never thought I would sense that presence again."

"What presence?" asked Percy, confused.

She looked at him as if he was stupid. "The Lord of the Wild, of course. Just for a moment, in the arrival of the boar, I felt the presence of Pan."

Ooh, not pam. Pan. I had no idea who that was, though. The Lord of the Wild?

I didn't ask, but just jumped onto the boar. This was going to be one long, uncomfortable ride.

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	13. Goodbye

**Hey, guys!**

**Doing this super fast, so there might be a few more mistakes than usual.**

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**Anyways, last chapter of Bianca **sobs****

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**Goodbye**

We rode the Boar Express for what seemed like eternity, and I knew as soon as I got off it, by butt would never feel the same again.

We had long since left the cold snowy mountains behind, and were riding towards the setting sun. It was almost like those epic scenes in movies where the young couple rides off into the sunset, except we were riding a giant hairy pig, two of us were sworn off boys, and one was part goat.

Night fell upon us, and the boar stopped at a small creek, gulping down the muddy water and munching on prickly cacti, needles and all. Ouch.

"This is as far as he'll go," said Grover. "We need to get of while he's eating."

All of dismounted the thing, aka, we slid off and tumbled to the ground because our backsides hurt so much, there wasn't much else we could do. Everyone's legs seemed much wider then before the journey, and I knew these saddle sores could last us a long time.

The boar squealed, having finished its dinner of water and cacti, and spun around to run away deep into the forest.

"It likes the mountains better," said Percy.

"I can't blame it," agreed Thalia. "Look."

I turned to see a two-lane road, barely visible with the amount of sand covering it, and a few broken down buildings on the other side. A boarded up house, a taco shop, and an empty post office with a sign that read GILA CLAW, ARIZONA, was all that still stood.

"Whoa," breathed Percy.

"Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," said Thalia, and looked to Grover. "I don't suppose you have another wild boar up your sleeve?"

Grover sniffed the wind nervously, and threw out his acorns onto the sand. Taking his reed pipes, he played a quick little tune that sounded suspiciously like "Santa Baby," and gave a worried glance when the acorns moved into position.

"That's us, those five nuts right there," he said.

"Which one is me?" asked Percy, looking down at them.

"The little deformed one," suggested Zoë, and I stifled a laugh behind my hand.

"Oh, shut up," said Percy crossly.

"That cluster right there," Grover said as he pointed to a group of acorns. "That's trouble."

"A monster?" asked Thalia.

"I don't smell anything," Grover said uneasily. "Which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge…"

He pointed to a junkyard, which I now realized had everything made with gold inside. Jeez, what billionaire wanted to throw that out?

We decided to camp for the night, thank goodness, because my legs and backside needed a good rest from our little fun ride on the pig. Zoë and I took out the five sleeping bags and foam mattresses from our bags, which had been enchanted to hold a bunch of stuff, kind of like Hermione's purse in the last Harry Potter book.

As the night crept up on us, the air cooled, and Grover and Percy went to collect some old wood from the broken down house. Thalia did her part by zapping the wood with a bolt of tiny lightning, and pretty son we had a roaring fire to keep us warm for the night.

"The stars are out," said Zoë, and I looked up with a gasp.

"Amazing," I breathed. "I've never actually seen the Milky Way."

"This is nothing," said Zoë sadly. "In the old days, there were more. Whole constellations have disappeared because of human light pollution."

"You talk like you're not human," said Percy.

Zoë raised her eyebrow at him. "I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"

"For you," corrected Thalia. "Not thee,"

"But you use you for the beginning of a sentence," argued Zoë.

"And for the end," replied Thalia. "No thou. No thee. Just you."

Zoë threw up her hands, exasperated. "I hate this language! It changes too often!"

I didn't want to burst her bubble but the last time it changed was a few hundred years ago. How old was Zoë, anyway?

Grover sighed, still looking at the stars. "If only Pan were here, he would set things right."

Zoë nodded sadly.

"Maybe it was the coffee," said Grover. "I was drinking coffee, and the wind came. Maybe if I drank more coffee…"

Hmm, was coffee, like, the Lord of the Wild's weak spot or something? I doubted it.

"Grover, do you really think that was Pan? I mean, I know you want it to be," said Percy uncertainly.

"He sent us help," insisted Grover. "I don't know how or why. But it was his presence. After this quest is done, I'm going back to New Mexico and drinking a lot of coffee. It's the best lead we've gotten in two thousand years. I was so close."

Percy didn't reply, obviously not wanting to hurt his feelings any more.

"What I want to know," said Thalia, looking at me, "is how you destroyed one of the zombies. There are a lot more out there somewhere. We need to figure out how to fight them."

"I don't know," I said as I shook my head. "I just stabbed it and it went up in flames."

"Maybe there's something special about your knife," suggested Percy.

"It is the same as mine," retorted Zoë. "Celestial bronze, yes. But mine did not affect the warriors that way."

"Maybe you have to hit the skeleton in a certain spot," said Percy.

I shifted uncomfortably with everyone's eyes looking down at me.

"Never mind," Zoë told me. "We will find the answer. In the meantime, we should plan our next move. When we get through this junkyard, we must continue west. If we can find a road, we can hitchhike to the nearest city. I think that would be Las Vegas."

A pang of fear and panic rushed through me, though I did not know the origins of it.

"No, not there!" I cried.

"Why?" asked Zoë, looking at me, concerned.

I took a breath to calm my beating heart. "I… I think we stayed there for a while. Nico and I. When we were travelling. And then, I can't remember…"

"Bianca," said Percy, looking at me with scared eyes. "That hotel you stayed at. Was it possibly called the Lotus Hotel and Casino?"

I looked at him, shocked. "How could you know that?"

"Oh, great," said Percy.

"Wait, what is the Lotus Casino?" asked Thalia, confused.

"A couple years ago, Grover, Annabeth, and I got trapped there. It's designed so you never want to leave. We stayed there for about an hour. When we came out, five days had passed. It makes time speed up."

My eyes widened as I realized the reason for my failing memory. "No. No, that's not possible."

"You said somebody came and got you out."

"Yes," I answered uncertainly.

"What did her look like? What did her say?" asked Percy.

"I… I don't remember. Please, I really don't want to talk about this," I said, worried.

Zoë sat forward. "You said that Washington D.C. had changed when you went back last summer. You didn't remember the subway being there."

What was this an NCIS interrogation? "Yes, but-"

"Bianca, can you tell me the name of the United States president right now?"

Jeez, did she think I was mentally deranged or something? "Don't be silly," I said and answered her question correctly.

"And who was the president before that?" asked Zoë.

I had to think a little harder for this one. "Roosevelt."

Zoë swallowed nervously. "Theodore or Franklin?"

"Franklin," I replied. "F.D.R."

"Like FDR drive?" said Percy.

"Bianca," said Zoë slowly and carefully. "F.D.R. was not the last president. That was about seventy years ago."

My brain refused to accept what my subconscious already knew.

"That's impossible," I stuttered. "I… I'm not that old."

I looked at my hands to make sure I hadn't turned into an old hag or anything.

Thalia's eyes softened as she looked at me. "It's okay, Bianca. The important thing is you and Nico are safe. You made it out."

"But how?" asked Percy. "We were only in there for an hour and we barely escaped. How you could have escaped after being there for so long?"

All these questions were starting to take their toll on me. "I told you," I said, eyes watering. "A man came and said it was time to leave. And-"

But who? Why did he do it?" Percy interrupted.

Blinding headlights stopped me from answering him, and we barely had time to pull our sleeping bags away before a white limousine stopped in front of us.

The back door of the limo opened right next to Percy, and before any of us could react, a sword tip touched his throat.

Zoë and I drew our bows, and the sword holder stepped out of the car.

"Not so fast now, are you, punk?" asked a deep cruel voice.

"Ares," snarled Percy with obvious hatred.

The god of war looked in our direction. "At ease, people."

Against my will, my bow fell to the ground, along with everyone else's weapons.

"This is a friendly meeting," said Ares. "Of course, I'd like to take your head for a trophy, but someone wants to see you. And I never behead my enemies in front of a lady."

"What lady?" asked Thalia.

"Well, well, I heard you were back," said the war god, looking at Thalia. "Thalia, daughter of Zeus. You're not hanging out with very good company."

"What's your business, Ares?" she asked. "Who's in the car?"

Ares smiled. "Oh, I doubt she wants to meet the rest of you. Particularly not them." He indicated Zoë and I. What, did I smell or something? "Why don't you all go get some tacos while you wait? It'll only take Percy a few minutes."

"We will not leave him along with thee, Lord Ares," said Zoë.

"Besides," Grover mumbled. "The taco place is closed."

Ares snapped his fingers again. The lights inside the abandoned taco store turned on. "You were saying, Goat Boy?"

"Go on," said Percy. "I'll handle this."

"You heard the boy," said the god of war. "He's big and strong. He's got things under control."

Grover, Zoë, Thalia, and I reluctantly walked toward the taco shop.

The place was… not exactly clean, with dust nearly everywhere, but someone, or rather, something, manned the cashier desk. Grover walked toward it, but Thalia grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing, idiot? Who knows what these tacos can do to you? For all we know, Ares could have poisoned them."

"But they have enchiladas!" cried Grover.

"Thalia, for once, is right, Grover. Sit down and wait," said Zoë.

We waited for what seemed like forever for the car door to open, but nothing happened. Then, finally, Percy stepped out, looking a little shaken, a goofy smile on his face.

In the blink of an eye, everything around us disappeared. I was suddenly standing in the middle of a junkyard, Percy and the others right next to me.

Wait, what the heck just happened?

Percy told us that Aphrodite had wanted to see him.

"What did she want with you?" I asked.

"Oh, uh, not sure. She said to be careful in her husband's junkyard. She said not to pick anything up."

Zoë looked at Percy suspiciously. "The goddess of love would not make a special trip to tell thee that. Be careful, Percy. Aphrodite has led many heroes astray."

"For once, I agree with Zoë," Thalia said. "You can't trust Aphrodite."

"So," said Percy, quickly changing the subject. "How do we get out of here?"

"That way," said Zoë, pointing. "That is west."

"How can you tell?" asked Percy. 

"Ursa Major is in the north," she said, rolling her eyes. "Which means that must be west."

"Oh, yeah, the bear thing," said Percy lamely.

"Show some respect," commanded Zoë. "It was a fine bear. A worthy opponent."

"You act like it was real," said Percy.

From what I knew of demigods and their lifestyle, it probably was.

"Guys, look!" said Grover, interrupting us.

We had reached the crest of a pile of junk. Everything gleamed gold and silver, and I looked at it in amazement.

"Whoa, that stuff… some of it looks like real gold," I said.

"It is," said Thalia. "Like Percy said, don't touch anything. This is the junkyard of the gods."

"Junk?" cried Grover, picking up a beautiful crown. "You call this junk?" he took a bite. "It's delicious!"

Thalia swatted the crown away. "I'm serious!"

"Look!" I cried, spotting something. I raced down the hill and picked up a silver bow. "A Hunter's bow!"

I jumped as it started to shrink and it slowly became a hair clip. "It's just like Percy's sword!" I cried.

"Leave it, Bianca."

"But-"

"It is here for a reason. Anything thrown away in this junkyard must stay in this yard. It is defective. Or cursed.

I set the hair clip down reluctantly, when my eye spotted a golden figure. Could it be…? It was the one figure Nico was missing for his Mythomagic game, a statue of Hades. No one would notice such a small thing disappearing in this huge junkyard, would they? I quickly grabbed it and put it in my pocket.

"I don't like this place," said Thalia, gripping her spear.

"You think we're going to get attacked by killer refrigerators?" asked Percy.

That glared at him. "Zoë is right, Percy. Things get thrown away here for a reason. Now come on, let's get across the yard."

Percy mumbled something unintelligible, and we started walking through the junkyard. The place had so many cool things, that every now and then, we had to pick something up to examine it.

Ahead of us was a row of think metal columns, wedged tightly together. It almost looked like…

"They look like-" I started.

"Toes," finished Grover.

I nodded. "Really large toes."

"Let's go around," said Thalia. "Far around."

"But the road is right over there," said Percy. Quicker to climb over."

Ping!

I drew my bow, but realized it was only Grover who had thrown a metal piece at the toes.

"Why did you do that?" demanded Zoë.

"I don't know. I, uh, don't like fake feet?" he said uncertainly.

"Come on," said Thalia sternly. "Around."

We quickly walked around, and soon we walked out of the edge of the junkyard.

"We made it out. Thank the gods," said Zoë.

The sound of crushing metal contradicted her words. I spun to see the toes tilt over, and a large figure stand up. Oh, gods, what had I done?

"Talos!" gasped Zoë.

"Who-who's Talos?" asked Percy.

"One of Hephaestus's creations. "But that can't be the original. It's too small. A prototype, maybe. A defective model."

Talos certainly didn't like the sound of that. He drew a sword the size of a bus.

"Someone took something, who took something?" demanded Zoë. She glared at Percy. 

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a thief."

"Run!" yelled Grover, before I could fess up, and I saw Talos take a step toward us.

We all ran in different directions, and I ended up hiding behind a broken chariot, Percy beside me.

"You took something," he accused. "That bow."

"No!" I retorted, but my voice wavered.

"Give it back! Throw it down!" he demanded.

"I… I didn't take the bow! Besides, it's too late."

"What did you take?" he asked.

Before I could answer a shadow went over me.

"Move!" yelled Percy, and we raced away as a giant foot made a crater of our hiding place.

"Hey, Talos!" said Grover, and began to play his reed pipes.

With the giant distracted, I turned to Percy.

"Come on!" he told me.

I took out the figurine. "It… it was for Nico. It was the only statue he didn't have."

"How can you think of Mythomagic at a time like this?" he asked me.

Tears were about to spill over in my eyes. This was all my fault.

"Throw it down, maybe the giant will leave us alone," he suggested.

I dropped it, but nothing happened.

"Crazy idea time," said Percy, looking to Talos.

"Anything," I said, looking to him.

"There may be a way to control the thing. Switches or something. I'm going to get inside.

"How? You'll have to stand under its foot! You'll be crushed!" I protested.

"Distract it. I'll just have to time it right."

"No, I'll go," I said, determination filling my voice.

"You can't! You're new at this! You'll die."

"It's my fault the monster came after us. It's my responsibility. Here," I said, giving him the statue of Hades. "If anything happens, give that to Nico. Tell him… tell him I'm sorry."

"Bianca, no!" screamed Percy, but I raced away, tears going down my face. This is what the dream meant. The voice said I had a choice, but really there was only one.

For the sake of my life, I spared my friends. As I accepted this, a feeling of happiness went through me.

"_You chose well, my Hunter. May your days in Elysium be filled with joy."_

"Thank you, Lady Artemis," I whispered, and leaped into the maintenance hatch, under the foot of Talos.

I climbed the ladder quickly, pulling wires, sparks flickering around me. I was hoping for some kind of self-destruct button, but had no luck.

The more wires I pulled, the slower and jerkier Talos's movements became. I reached his head and pulled the last wire, a thick golden one. It broke, and sparks of electricity shocked me, my hair rising with the static. I could feel the giant falling, and when it hit the ground, a quick feeling of intense pain filled me, but only for a second.

Then a bright light opened up toward me, the sight of a woman who I instinctively knew was my mother opened her arms to me. I hugged her, dissolving into the embrace, and my spirit left my body, to fly to Hades. To fly to my father…

_Well, that's the end of my story! I hope you enjoyed my journey!_

_Live long and prosper,_

_Bianca Di Angelo_

**The end! Boo hoo! I'm sorry this is so rushed, but I literally had no time at all to write this.**

**Goodbye until Sunday!**

**Kittycat32**


	14. All done!

**Yoyoyo my peeps, whats poppin?**

**(I hope your answer is popcorn!)**

**Hahah anyways, I hoped you liked that ending of Bianca, even though I am wondering how you could, when I was rushing through it so quickly… I may re-do it when I'm bored sometime or other, but for now, this works. I literally did it in about an hour and a half, and it usually takes me about 2-3 hours to write an update, depending on how long it is, so this one was a really quick one. **

**Anyways, yeah, thank you all for coming with me through this whole Bianca story, hope you liked it, yadda yadda yadda, and all that good stuff =)**

**I'm answering the last two chapter reviews since I haven't done them yet =)**

Son of the Sea 100896 **Hahah bullet immunity would be cool =) Hmm, I've never really thought about her actually controlling the skeletons…. But I suppose she could've if she had more training… Haha, speechless? I really don't think it was that good =P**

Deviant1 UK **Kebab, kabob, same difference =P chapterificatwha? Sheesh me no compute such large words O_o hehehe Chucky is an evil doll who murders people =P And stop poking me! =P Aww, thank you =) Bahahaha, I made you depressed? Sorryz about that! Hehe. Puppy dog eyes don't work on me, Deviant, you know this already =P But sometime soon, yes.**

Me **Hahah, maybe, we'll see =) And I have no issues with your name being Me, since you've kept it like that for so long that I've gotten used to it, but someone else probably uses that name too =P **

**Loved writing this! **

**Annabeth coming Wednesday at the latest, depending on how lazy I am tomorrow. I just got back from a three day sleepover, so we'll see. Doctor's appointment Monday, and hanging with friends all day/night Tuesday, so I don't know when I will have time! **

**Peace out!**

**Kittycat32**


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